Two uncontested races in NHP-GCP election

Rebecca Klar
Trustee David DelSanto and Trustee Jennifer DeRocchis are running unopposed in their bids for re-election to the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park board of education. (Photos courtesy of DeRocchis and the Sewanhaka Central High School District)

If re-elected next Tuesday, David DelSanto will be serving his fifth year on the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Board of Education.

DelSanto is running unopposed for re-election, as is Trustee Jennifer DeRocchis, seeking her second term.

The public can vote on Tuesday at Michael J. Tully Park from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The public will also be voting on the proposed $39.2 million budget, a 2.7 percent increase from the current budget.

The budget proposes a 2.92 percent tax levy increase.

The vote for the Sewanhaka Central High School District budget, the high school district that the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park schools feed into, is a separate budget the public can vote on Tuesday.

The Sewanhaka proposed budget is $198.6 million, a 2.9 percent increase from the current budget.

The Sewanhaka budget proposes a 1.09 percent tax levy increase.

Members of the Sewanhaka school board are appointed by their respective elementary school board members.

DelSanto, who currently serves as Sewanhaka Board of Education president, has been a representative on the high school’s board for 11 years.

DelSanto said he likes being active in the district, where both of his daughters graduated.

“It’s one of those things, if you sit on the sidelines and complain and don’t do anything than you don’t have a right to really complain because you don’t have a solution,” DelSanto said.

DeRocchis, who lives in Lakeville Estates, said she thinks it is particularly important that there are parents with students in the district system involved on the board.

DeRocchis has a daughter in sixth grade at Manor Oaks School and son in 10th grade at New Hyde Park Memorial High School.

“The reason I ran initially was that I simply felt the need to be more involved in my community,” DeRocchis said. “Particularly looking out for our children with regards to health and safety as well as maintaining class sizes and addressing concerns about the common core initiative. “

She said she is proud of what the board has accomplished in the last three years, noting the appointment of four new principals and a new superintendent.

One area of improvement DeRocchis said she would like to see is a focus on teaching children how to study.

“Back in school I remember having to teach myself how to study. I think there should be a lesson during the year on how to break down a chapter,” DeRocchis said. “Teaching our children how to pick out what is important to study, not just hand them a study guide. To me, that doesn’t help them in preparation for high school and college.”

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