There are three incumbents and one first-time challenger running for three available trustee positions on the Levittown Board of Education. The incumbents are current Board Vice President Diane Shapiro and trustees Kenneth Auer, Sr. and John Garvey. Running for the first time is Levittown resident Dan Bornstein. The positions are for a three-year term. The Levittown Council of PTAs will host a Meet the Candidates Forum Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at the Levittown Memorial Education Center Auditorium, 150 Abbey Lane. The budget election and trustee vote will be held on Tuesday, May 17 from noon-9 p.m. at the following locations: Gardiners Avenue Elementary School, Wisdom Lane Middle School, Levittown Memorial Education Center, Division Avenue High School, East Broadway Elementary School, Lee Road Elementary School, East Broadway Elementary School (there are two polling areas) and Salk Middle School.

Current Levittown Board of Education trustee Kenneth Auer Sr., 58, is a retired New York City police officer. Auer, along with his wife, Joanne, has resided in Levittown for the past 33 years. Both of his sons, Ken Jr. and Bill, are graduates of Division Avenue High School.

Auer was also a member of the Levittown Board of Education from 1992 to 1998 and again since 1999. He is a member of the Levittown Kiwanis Club, resident of the Division Avenue Baseball Diamond Club and past president of the Levittown West Little League.

Auer states that giving students the best education at a reasonable price as the main issue affecting the Levittown School District.

"The most important issue to me is being able to give the children of our community the best education that the taxpayers of Levittown can afford," stated Auer. "In order to continue this we must keep our taxes as low as possible and maintain the smaller class sizes."

Auer said he is eager is remain on the board in order to maintain low taxes and educational progression.

"I want to remain on the board so that I am able to continue my quest to keep taxes down and still not lose any educational advances that we have made," Auer stated.

Levittown resident Dan Bornstein, 41, is an operations field manager for Verizon in Nassau County. He has a BS business management/MIS from SUNYEmpire State College. Bornstein is married to his wife Pamela and has three children. Matthew is 12 years old and attends Wisdom Lane Middle School, while Nicholas, 10, and Steven, 7, attend Summit Lane Elementary School. "I have been a member of the citizens budget committee for four years. During that time, I have had the opportunity to look over the district budgets," Bornstein said. "As a committee, we were afforded the opportunity to offer comment and suggestion about the budget. Often, that opportunity came late in the process, sometimes too late in the process to make a difference. I believe a fresh perspective and new ideas can only have a positive impact for the community. My motivation in seeking a seat on the board is straightforward. The board and the district administration need to be held accountable to deliver quality education for every student while balancing the financial concerns and needs of the community. I believe that if elected, I will bring with me a fresh perspective and accountability." If elected, Bornstein said "keeping taxes at a comfortable level" is a primary goal, "so that the seniors, as well as young couples just starting out, can continue to live in Levittown while at the same time making sure our children continue to get a well-rounded, quality education."

John Garvey, a resident of the Levittown School District for 23 years, has been serving on the Levittown School Board since July of 2002 and is also seeking re-election. Garvey was also a member of the Levittown Board of Education from 1987 to 1990 and again from 1991 to 1994. He works as a tug operations manager at Moran Towing Corporation and was captain of various tugs at that company from March 1988 to January 2001, when he became operations manager. Garvey has been married to his wife Arlene for 29 years and has two grown children, Erin, who graduated from MacArthur High School in 1999, and John, who graduated from Chaminade in 2000.

His other community activities include 14 years as a firefighter/AEMT (life member) of the Wantagh Fire Department, member of the Levittown PAL Board of Directors since 2001, member of the Levittown - Island Trees Youth Council since 2001, and director of Levittown PAL Lacrosse teams.

Garvey believes that the district "provides the opportunity and resources for a quality education" for students.

"But I also believe that our children can achieve more," Garvey continued. "This coming year's expansion of the kindergarten programs, the change to a nine-period day in the high schools - these are changes that should result in additional individual achievement, as well as increased opportunities for our students and the district as a whole."

Garvey said his financial priorities for the district will include striving to present to the taxpayers budgets that provide a quality education balanced to the needs of the taxpayers' ability to pay.

"If elected, I also pledge to continue the board's efforts to maintain good public relations and create an atmosphere which results in positive feedback, essential to the financial well-being of the schools," Garvey said.

Diane Shapiro, 59, has been in an officer position for 13 of the 15 years she has been a Levittown Board of Education member. A secretary in the West Hempstead Public Schools District, Shapiro has a bachelor's degree in education from Queens College and master's degree from Stony Brook University. She resides in Wantagh and has two sons: Jeff, 28, and Lee, 24 - both MacArthur High School graduates.

Shapiro says the most important issues facing the Levittown School District are increasing student achievement, presenting responsible school budgets, being involved in legislation issues, increasing state aid to the district and keeping the buildings in great condition.

"During my tenure on the board, the achievement level of the students in the school district has been raised from below the Nassau County average to at or above the Nassau County level in all areas," Shapiro said. "Our Regents diploma rate went from 32 percent to over 90 percent. I will continue to follow this mission."

In regard to the budget, Shapiro pointed out that Levittown currently has the county's lowest tax levy, which is 2.6 percent.

"Our five-year budget plan's projected tax levy for the next five years is projected to be anywhere from 2.6 percent to 5.9 percent," Shapiro stated.

Shapiro said she has always been involved in lobbying for State Aid.

"I am co-chair of the Legislation Committee for PTA Council, committee legislation chair of a PTA unit and past legislative chair of Nassau Region PTA and past NYS Board Legislative Network Lobby," Shapiro added.