Two Farmingdale school board members will not seek re-election next month, leaving a hole that will be filled by two unopposed candidates.

William Barrett, vice president of the board, announced his decision to not seek re-election for another 3-year term on March 17, as did Troy Rosasco on March 3. Jane Schriro Rubinstein, an executive with an East Farmingdale environmental firm, is the sole candidate for Barrett's seat, while Marie Colalucci, director of technology for Farmingdale Schools, is running unopposed for Rosasco's position.

Both outgoing trustees have cited time constraints linked to family and career obligations as their reason for leaving.

"I was not certain I was able to give the proper time commitment," said Barrett, who has been a trustee for 6 years, and was elected vice president by his fellow board members two years ago. In addition to being committed to a busy accounting practice, as well as his wife and two children, he is a coach for his sons' athletic teams.

He noted that it wasn't an easy decision.

"I enjoy the board, and I enjoy the administration. I enjoy the public, and I enjoy the position, and I think it's an honor to have been able to do it. But I also understand the responsibility that goes with it, and it's not right if you can't give one hundred percent of yourself to do it. Somebody else should do it," he said.

Barrett joined the board, he said, because he thought he could contribute his knowledge of accounting, and to encourage the district to bring back the 9th grade sports program that was cut when state aid was drastically reduced in the early 1990s. "The school district does now have a 9th grade basketball team for boys and it's going to have a 9th grade basketball team for girls, pretty much following what Nassau County is doing," he said.

He added that through his tenure, he has been impressed by the respect that board members have shown each other despite sometimes disagreeing, and that he is proud of the early intervention and other educational initiatives the board and administration have implemented in recent years. "I think one of the strengths of our board is, we all come from different fields - different walks of life...They all have a different point of view when an issue comes forward. And, I don't know if this happens everywhere, but it certainly happens here - that is, board members may not agree with each other, but they certainly respect each other."

For example, he didn't agree with the board's recent decision to move the district's 6th graders from the elementary schools to the Howitt Middle School. "Even though I may have wanted the sixth grade to stay at the elementary school as opposed to going to the middle school, I respect the decision that was made by the board, and there are valid reasons why they are going to the middle school," he said. "The board is really for children first, and does everything it can to accommodate the children and what's best for them."

Despite his decision to forfeit the trustee position, Barrett will continue to be an active participant in the local community. "I spent my whole life in Farmingdale, so I'm not going anywhere," he said.

For Rosasco, whose wife gave birth to the couple's second child in February, time is currently at a premium. "We have two children, and they're both under age 2, so I'm really needed at home, and the school board takes a lot of time," he said. "It's volunteer work, and it's fun sometimes, but it's a lot of responsibility, and to do the job well, I think you've really got to dedicate 10 hours of work per week. And with the kids being their ages, I just didn't think it was fair to continue to do it."

A partner in a busy law firm, Rosasco was known in his role as trustee for freely speaking his mind on issues he felt were important, such as full-day kindergarten and the renovation of the district's athletic fields. He also often challenged administration and his fellow board members to re-think their viewpoints during public discussions, sometimes through lengthy discourse, and always seemed to be respected rather than resented for it.

He began his service on the board in 1992, serving a three year term and choosing not to run for re-election in 1995 due to time constraints related to being newly married. In 1996, after the untimely death of school board member Gary Karp, the board asked Rosasco to fill his place. He agreed and has been on the board ever since.

He is proud of the mark he has made.

"Prior to my coming on the board, many times the board of education had been willing to accept the status quo. Since I've been on the board, I think the board has become much more pro-active, in terms of setting higher standards for our students, and aggressively monitoring the fiscal health of the district...Since I've been on the board, one of my roles is to make both the board and the administration look at things differently than they have in the past, and I think we've done that," said Rosasco, who was educated by Farmingdale Public Schools.

"Since I've been on the board, two of the things that we've needed for probably two decades, but now are getting done, are implementing full-day kindergarten and renovating the athletic fields."

As for his impression of the board, he said, "We have a much more pro-active board than we've had in the past. The educational and financial challenges are so great, that you just can't act as a rubber stamp anymore. You have to bring your own business expertise to the table and try to effect change in the school district."

He continued, "I think, educationally, the school district is going in the right direction, and I think with the advent of full-day kindergarten, we're soon going to be ranked among the top districts on Long Island. My only disappointment is that sometimes we have not been able to hold back the tax increases as much as I would have liked."

Rosasco also expressed concern about the effect that his and Barrett's departure could have on the board and the district. "I'm worried that the board at a very critical time is losing two experienced business people who run their own businesses," he said. "I think you need to have people who run their own businesses on the board, so that we can teach people how to operate the district most efficiently...In addition, Mr. Barrett and I were both very fiscally conservative."

Rosasco added that he will continue to be involved with the district through promoting full-day kindergarten and a bond proposal expected to be presented to the voting public in the fall. He also remains as commissioner of the Town of Oyster Bay Housing Authority.

In addition to the candidates who are running unopposed for the seats of Barrett and Rosasco, Larry Jorgensen is on the ballot for the May 18 elections. Jorgensen is running unopposed for re-election to the Farmingdale library board.

Next week, the Observer will feature profiles on the candidates. In addition, the Farmingdale Council of PTAs will host a candidates' forum in the Weldon E. Howitt auditorium on Monday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m., which they are encouraging all residents to attend.