I am writing to share my unwavering and enthusiastic support for Jim Gounaris and Henry Zanetti for Herricks Board of Education. Herricks is very fortunate to have candidates of their professionalism, humility, and dedication. Jim and Henry have the experience and respectability necessary to work with elected officials on the local and state level to advocate for Herricks.
Both are current members of the school board and have children currently attending Herricks High School, but their commitment to Herricks Public Schools goes far beyond the interests of their own children. They care deeply about the quality of education for all students, and they have advocated fairly and passionately for students, families, teachers, and administrators, whether it be in negotiating a new teachers’ contract, re-examining the school calendar, addressing new curriculum requirements and changes, maintaining our schools’ educational excellence under a strict fiscal budget or selecting qualified professionals to fill some of Herricks’ most important administrative positions.
I first met Jim and Henry in 2013 while attending BOE meetings as a concerned parent over a potential new threat to public education. At the time, Jim was BOE president, and Henry was a fellow Williston Park neighbor and concerned parent. In 2013-2014, inBloom was a $100 million educational technology data mining project that faced public backlash from parents and districts alike over inBloom’s intended use of student data, and concerns over student privacy and protection.
As a Herricks parent, I was very worried about corporate overreach and the sale of my children’s private educational information to third party vendors. I had the good fortune to have both Jim and Henry as advocates who tenaciously fought along my side in protecting not just our children, but all the children of Herricks to insure their privacy was protected. Jim served as BOE President during this time and tirelessly worked the phones and sent emails to Albany legislators, setting up meetings with locally elected state officials, and always taking the time to keep me up to date on any developments. It was a proud day for all of us when NY announced it would cancel its contract with inBloom.
Jim helped lead our grassroots movement to protect our children and we won. I remember thanking Jim for all his hard work during this time and I distinctly recall his modesty. Jim wasn’t doing this for the accolades. He fought to protect our kids because he knew it was the right thing to do. And he continues to serve the community with that specific goal in mind.
Through the years in my time as a parent volunteer and former PTA president for Searingtown School, then Herricks Middle School, I have always found Jim and Henry to be excellent listeners who fully consider options before making important decisions. Both have shown to be professional and experienced in their decision-making and always have the best interests of Herricks families in mind. Now, more than ever, we need stability, experience, and unfaltering commitment to our community. This is not the time to change course, but rather forge ahead with experienced leadership at the helm. I encourage all Herricks residents to re-elect Jim Gounaris and Henry Zanetti to the Herricks Board of Education.
Genara DiGirolomo
Williston Park
