Educator and Mineola resident Margaret Ballantyne-Mannion joined current school Trustee Nicole Matzer on Monday as the lone candidates running for two open seats on Mineola School Board, district clerk Andrea Paggi said.
Ballantyne-Mannion, who is currently a Spanish professor at York College/CUNY, said she is “excited about the recent accomplishments of the district” and wants to help the district continue to offer opportunities to its students.
“Every day I witness the academic standards and rigor young people need in order to succeed in college or their chosen career,” said Ballantyne-Mannion, who graduated from Brown University with a Ph. D. in Hispanic Studies.
Ballantyne-Mannion’s filing to run followed Trustee Will Hornberger’s announcement that he would not run for re-election.
Matzer, a former co-president of the Mineola PTO District Council, is running for election after having been appointed to fill out the remainder of Trustee Terrence Hale’s term, which expires in May. Hale had resigned after becoming subject of a complaint from outgoing Trustee Irene Parrino to the state education commissioner.
Matzer praised Ballantyne-Mannion.
“She is a lovely, lovely woman and I am very excited to work with her,” Matzer said. “She is a tremendous wealth of knowledge.”
Ballantyne-Mannion, who moved to the district in 1972 has two children attending Mineola schools, said hoped to build on the district’s success.
“We have outstanding teachers who are developing challenging and meaningful curriculum, technology that outshines all other districts in New York State, a recognized music program, a full range of extracurricular activities for all students, a fiscally responsible administration and students who make all of us proud,’ Ballantyne-Mannion said.
Matzer had just completed a two year term as co-president of the Mineola PTO District Council when she was appointed to the board last July. Prior to that, she served for two years as president of the Willis Avenue School PTO. Matzer also teaches catechism classes at St. Aidan Church. She and her husband, Eric, have two children attending district schools, a son going into eighth grade and a daughter going into fifth grade.
“I feel I bring a nice perspective to the table,” she said, based on having two children in different district schools,” Matzer said in a past interview with the Williston Times.
Matzer said she was looking forward to her first election run.
“It is a good feeling and I am excited and nervous at the same time,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful experience this year. It’s been an honor to serve. It was an honor to be appointed.”
Matzer, who moved to Mineola in 1999, said she had considered running for school board before and decided to respond to the board’s call for candidates to replace Hale last summer as her term as district council co-president was ending.
“I’ve learned a lot from the board members I’m serving with,” she said. “We have a budget coming out that continues to enhance curriculum. And I’d like to be part of that and grow in that.”
The second seat became available after Hornberger, who has served as board president and was re-elected to his second term on the board in 2011.
He ran with Hale at the time in support of a school consolidation plan that included the closing of the Center Street School and leasing it to the Schechter School of Long Island.
“I am going to miss him terribly,” Matzer said. He is a wonderful mentor and tremendous asset to the board.”
Voting for the 2014-15 budget and the school board races will take place on May 20.
In other news:
East Williston school board president Mark Kamberg is running unopposed to maintain his seat on the board.
