There are four candidates running for two seats on the Manhasset School District Board of Education this year. Debbie Klein's first three-year term is up and she is running for re-election. Board Vice President Thomas Killeen completed his second three-year term and he is not running for re-election. The other candidates are Cindy Cardinal, Dennis Dionisiou and Marie Horowitz. Their biographical data and positions are printed below. At a League of Women Voters meeting in Manhasset's Black Box Theater on May 6, the candidates introduced themselves and spoke about their visions for the schools. There was little or no dissent among the four. All agreed that the school population is growing and that increase must be addressed. All agreed that emphasis must be placed on the individual child, whether it be a child in need of special education, a gifted child or the "middle child" who may get lost in the shuffle. Although each of the candidates recognizes the need for fiscal prudence, all seemed to agree that it will be an expensive procedure to accommodate the needs of the students in the coming years.

My family and I moved to Manhasset five years ago because of the school district. We considered test scores and spending per pupil, but we also contacted people in the field of education and asked about excellent teachers, community involvement and sound curriculum. Our children, who are now in third, fifth and seventh grades, go to school in Manhasset because we have made a financial and philosophical commitment to this district.

Since we moved here, I have involved myself in all aspects of the school community. Some of my SCA activities have included:

* 2003 - Summer Studies Committee

* 2002-03 - Munsey Park Book Fair Co-Chair

* 2002-03 - Middle School CASA Liaison

* 2002 - Munsey Park "Middle Child" Committee

* 2001-02 - Munsey Park Yearbook Co-Chair

* 2000-01 - Munsey Park SCA Secretary

* 2001 - Parent interviewer for teaching candidates at Munsey Park

* 2000-present - Lunchroom volunteer

* 1999-2001 - Munsey Park Shared Decision-Making Team Member

* 1999-2000 - Elementary School Foreign Language Committee

* 1999-present - Room Parent (Grade Level Chair 1999-2000)

* 1998- present - Project Self-Esteem/ Character Matters instructor

I also serve my community as a Girl Scout leader and as vice president of the Manhasset Coalition Against Substance Abuse (CASA), on which I have served actively since 2000.

My educational and professional experience has prepared me to serve on the board of education. I received my B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and my J.D. cum laude from Cardozo Law School, where I was an editor on the Cardozo Law Review. I was an associate in the labor departments of two large New York law firms before I moved with my family to Toronto, Canada, where we lived for seven years. I have worked part-time as a consultant for various companies regarding labor and employment matters. As a management-side labor lawyer, I have experience writing policy manuals for large corporations, along with a Westchester school district, as well as negotiating union and other contracts, and dealing with local, state and federal agencies. I served as president of my condominium association board and as a member and policy chair of the board of directors of the non-profit corporation that ran my children's private school in Toronto for five years (where I wrote and implemented the school's first formal employment policy manual).

This district requires leadership to manage the ever-increasing student population and to address the issues related to this population boom. The teachers' collective bargaining agreement expires shortly and will need to be renegotiated. I hope the voters will see that my background and experience make me well qualified to address these challenges and help carry our school district into the future.

After several years of talking to parents on the ball field, picking teacher's brains and sitting through minimally attended school board meetings, I felt the best way to maximize my children's education is to simply "get involved." The next three years will need tough decision making. Not just because of the expansion program but also due to the oncoming economic "belt tightening." We may need to do more with less, and that means more hands-on involvement by the community in the decision making process. School board members devote their valuable time to a cause they believe in. They deserve our support by attending meetings and showing appreciation of their hard work. Our goal is mutual, to demand excellence from our children's educational facility. We can only do that by remaining proactive through the district's growing pains, while not losing sight of the basics. Yes, there's always room for improvement, such as: (a) "the middle child" and (b) expand programs for the advanced at the elementary level. The Manhasset School District has excellent programs for special education, as well as advanced students in high school. However, more emphasis is needed in the child who is at an average level, or is struggling just below average, the middle child. Moreover, the elementary level needs to increase its opportunities for the child who shows promise for immediate advancement. That child's momentum may be lost, if it waits for middle school to take advantage of AP classes. The practice of "school workload" should start early on. The fruit of that labor will be evident in the high school years; particularly since standards like SATs are raised.

As far as my qualifications, I am president of my own investment real estate firm. My 25 years experience in the asset management and value retrieval of distressed, politically sensitive, multifamily complexes in the tri-state area can be implemented into such a position. Having served as vice president of real estate at a federal savings bank, and as portfolio manager at a multi-national insurance company, makes me well versed in navigating through large entities. I presently serve on the parish council of The Archangel Michael Church in Roslyn Heights. This coupled with five years experience with my kids' prior parochial school, will add an ethical perspective. However, I feel my strongest qualification is being a dedicated parent, always looking for academic improvement through a proactive approach.

Teachers don't just dispense academics, they leave lasting effects on a child's character. In the words of my high school principal, Dr. Howard Horowitz, "obtaining knowledge is not enough, it's what one does with that knowledge that matters." After intensive research of Long Island neighborhoods in 1998, my wife and I decided to raise our boys in Manhasset, primarily because of the school district. As the density increases, it's up to us to maintain the quality. Good schools don't just increase house values, they increase values in the home. I want to know your opinion, good or bad. Write to me at P.O. Box 293, Manhasset, NY 11030; or at dennisdionisiou@yahoo.com. Remember, on June 3, don't just vote for school board members and the budget, vote for the future of our children.

Raised in Manhasset. Manhasset High School graduate. Married to Robert B. G. Horowitz and mother of Alexander, Manhasset High School student; Geoffrey, Manhasset Middle School student and Douglas, Munsey Park Elementary School student. Mother, Marie Eslinger was Manhasset School Board member, 1969-1975.

BA in political science, minor in education, Ohio Wesleyan University. M.Ed. specializing in counseling psychology and testing, University of Miami. Doctoral coursework in educational psychology and measurement and testing.

Citizens Advisory Committee on Facilities, member 2002 to present; Citizens Advisory Committee for Facilities, member 1995 - 1996; Citizens Advisory Committee on Finance, member; Citizens Advisory Committee on Athletics, member; School Community Association, president; Manhasset High School Shared Decision Making Team member; Manhasset Booster Club, member; Den Leader and Cub Master, for five years; Interview Committee on Hiring Personnel for Manhasset School District, member; Tower Foundation, member; Elementary School Book Fair, chairperson; Middle School Halloween Party, chairperson; Manhasset High School Frolic, chairperson; Smalley Educational Foundation, director.

Legal Recruiting and Counseling Consultant for 20 years.

I have been an active member of the Manhasset Community for the past 15 years. I presently serve as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Facilities in the Manhasset School District, a school board appointed committee that advises the school board. An extremely important issue facing the Manhasset School District is adequate facilities for our ever-growing student population. I have been part of the decision making process in this exciting new era in which we will see our sixth grade moved to the middle school. This transition will enable our district to have a true middle school. During the past school year I attended numerous meetings with educational consultants, educators and administrators and I examined other school districts. My educational background in education and psychology are an asset. I interned with a middle school psychologist and am keenly aware of the issues of this age group. Sixth grade students must be integrated into our middle school yet a close eye must be kept on the necessity of maintaining our middle school as a separate entity from the high school. This separateness is necessary for a conducive and supportive middle school environment. As an active member of the Manhasset School Board I will bring my educational background combined with my substantial experience in our school district to set school policy. As an active member of the business community for 20 years, I will bring to the Manhasset School Board an understanding of business issues. The alarming increase this year in our school budget calls for a more efficient and equitable district. We must continue to maintain the quality and richness of the education that we offer our children in the Manhasset School District. As a daughter of a former Manhasset School Board member, I know the time demands placed upon and required of a member and the responsibility of this position to the entire community. As an involved parent I chose to also educate my children in the Manhasset Public Schools. I am a concerned and committed community member with a firm educational and business background. I bring my educational and business skills, level of expertise and known commitment to children and our community to the Manhasset School Board in this exciting and challenging new era facing our district.

Debbie Albanese Klein is a graduate of Manhasset High School and Skidmore College's School of Nursing. She and her husband, Dr. Irwin Klein, have three children educated in Manhasset; graduates Kathy '97 and Mark '01 and MHS junior Steve.

As a board member, Debbie has vocally supported and advocated for ongoing curriculum reviews; enrichment of and support in regents level courses; early academic intervention; a comprehensive review of our special education program; class sizes and staff development that support differentiated instruction; expansion of our reading program to include multi-sensory approaches and phonemic awareness; a link with CASA; and outreach to preschools and at-risk children.

Debbie is currently working with the administration, fellow board members and the community to address efficient field and facility utilization to meet the needs of our expanding student population. Additionally, she has served as liaison to the SCA Executive Board and the Manhasset Athletic Advisory Committee. Debbie says, "I am proud that this board has strived for excellent communication with all constituents and that we have had a rational and open process for analyzing key issues and implementing decisions."

Debbie's years of dedicated community service include: SCA Executive Board; book fair chair; high school shared decision making; project self esteem coordinator; scout leader and technology, middle school planning, and interviewing committees. She is a prior board chair of The Great Neck/Manhasset Community Child Care Partnership and currently serves on the Partnership and CASA boards.

Debbie adds, "I am committed to the academic, social and emotional needs of all students. Additionally, I am committed to continuous improvement in our district to reach for the highest quality of education so that all children can reach their potential."