On May 20 Manhasset will head to the polls to vote on the school budget and to elect a candidate to sit on the board of education. Two individuals are running for one open position: Pat Aitken, incumbent, is running for her second term; and Jack Vivinetto is again challenging the incumbent. The Manhasset Press requested each candidate respond to the same questions in order to provide the community with an understanding of where the candidates stand on various issues.

Tuesday, May 20 is the school budget vote and trustee election when the polls at the Manhasset High School gym will be open between 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

-PG

JV As a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA in Taxation, I am currently the chief financial officer of a major manufacturer and corporate spokesperson on all financial matters with direct responsibility for managing budgeting, spending and banking. In addition, I sit on the Executive Board of the Museum of Arts and Design, with specific focus on educational outreach and as Chairman of the Finance Committee I am responsible for all treasury and accounting functions. Formerly I was the Chairman of Chief Financial Officers Committee of the NYS Society of CPA's, in which the entire profession has utilized my expertise.

Homeowners will decide the necessary credentials required for a school board candidate. The community will likely choose a candidate they can trust, committed to raising academic standards while proposing reasonable spending budgets in line with household income.

PA My professional background in finance, restructuring and crisis management spans a range of business disciplines. Managing through change taught me to maintain a flexible, creative approach. Being a good board member also requires sound personal attributes - applying common sense and good judgment; displaying honesty and integrity; being committed to our children and our community; being flexible when facing challenges. An effective board member needs to be independent, yet function collaboratively to build bridges among diverse community views. I am confident that my tenure as a board member evidences my honest commitment to the Manhasset community and our children.

JV - The community will be better served with a diverse school board that includes financial executives with extensive experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, in particular a trustee devoted to education. Everything in both my business and volunteer careers illustrate that I have the right experience for the job and more importantly the right character: character that can be trusted to act in accordance with school policy and state law governing School Board Trustees. Most important, I am a proponent of academic excellence for all our children and a proponent of fiscal responsibility that will benefit the entire community.

PA As a concerned resident, taxpayer and parent of three children in our public schools, I found it difficult three years ago to sit back and not become involved in tackling the issues facing our school district. I realized that my professional experience as a restructuring and turnaround specialist provides a background that is particularly suited to dealing with these types of issues. As I have enjoyed my tenure on the board, am proud of numerous accomplishments, and believe I have made a positive contribution to the district and to our community, my decision to seek re-election was simple to make.

JV The community has my personal commitment that I will work in the best interest of their children. I want to give every student the opportunity to succeed and reach his or her potential. At the same time, I want to give homeowners my personal commitment to work towards annual budget increases that are reasonable and acceptable to the entire community. My goals are academic excellence, fiscal responsibility and complete transparency necessary to involve all members of the community.

PA I am proud of accomplishments on two levels: Macro level accomplishments, such as providing resources for our physical plant, to ensure a safe, appropriate environment for learning, are evident in the public eye and easier to highlight. Micro level accomplishments are different: taken singularly they may appear less significant, but embody a constant stream of decisions, input and governance on a broad array of items that I have provided as a board member. I am most proud when community members tell me they have the trust and confidence in me to make those decisions on behalf of our children and our community.

JV Our school district has fallen behind the times. Virtually all organizations, for profit and non-profit, have embraced transparency, accountability and risk management as tools to improve constituency relations and protect constituent's assets. When school board incumbents turn a three-year school term into lifetime positions, they get out of touch with the real working world where standards are continually set higher. They tend to rely on obsolete and outdated school policies to govern. Hence, no five year business plan, no disclosure on $25 million in lawsuits due to mismanagement or inadequate insurance, no community discussion of a union contract that burdens the community with $280 million in retiree healthcare and no real transparency.

Our school district needs to embrace many of the disclosures of corporate America needed to improve community relations.

PA The role of the board is to govern and to guide, within the guidelines established by the NYS Education Department. Over the past three years, the foundation of a strong administrative team who is capable of managing the educational and business aspects of the district has enabled the board to make steady progress away from the "hands-on" involvement in day to day issues that was necessitated by weaknesses in the previous administration. The board has appropriately shifted its priorities toward true board governance - setting goals and strategies, addressing facilities needs, providing fiscal oversight, establishing policies, and providing direction and guidance.

JV The purpose of a public school education is to develop all students to their maximum and empower them to be contributors to society. A fine teacher is at the heart of education because he or she inspires children to not only acquire knowledge but to put that knowledge into practice and improve the world.

PA The unquestionable purpose of our schools is to educate our children so that they develop into well-educated, socially responsible adults who are able to contribute to our communities and to our society in a meaningful way. This applies to all children, of all abilities and all backgrounds. Our children are both our future and our legacy. Our public schools are one of our community's most valuable assets; it is our collective responsibility as a community to place a priority on providing a strong education for all of our children.

JV Special Education should be budgeted no differently than any other part of the budget, negotiate for the best quality at a reasonable cost. As such, to the extent Federal and State reimbursements fall short, we have minimized our downside risk. In general, Federal and State funding, whether for Special Education or any other program is a budgeted line item that requires transparency and accountability to ensure the school district receives its fair share.

PA There are many aspects of the annual budget that are in the district's control, however, the lack of funding for federal and state mandates is a big ticket item over which the district has no control. I believe the answer lies in what the "public community" should do, as individual taxpayers have a stronger voice than a single "district." I believe the board's establishment of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Legislative Affairs has been a vital step in coordinating community skills and resources to focus on how our voice can impact legislative issues that affect our school community.

JV The board must actively engage homeowners to ensure the school board's goals and objectives are in line with homeowners, then:

1) Based on homeowners input implement a five-year business plan that continually sets the academic standards higher and continually brings down spending in line with household income.

2) Prioritize risk management. This concept is widely used in Corporate America and has a major role in school districts given the millions we will spend in retiree benefits. In essence, decisions made today must be quantified for their long-term effect on the future. In short, what appears to be affordable today, just may bankrupt the community 15 years down the road. Our school district, like some other school districts, has made promises today with a total disregard how it will affect the future, in particular retiree benefits. I've noticed the more astute school districts have already taken action to minimize retiree cost, and so should we.

3) Restore public trust. Most reasonable homeowners will agree there has been a total collapse in transparency and accountability by the school board. The school board has hidden $25 million in lawsuits and now we learn there was either no or inadequate insurance. The school board hid an annual superintendent raise of $40,000 or 19 percent without real public disclosure, and then we learn there are two superintendents on the payroll, etc.

PA Key focus areas include:

Education - Maintaining and enhancing curriculum across academic disciplines and improving student achievement on all levels - be it in Advanced Placement offerings, "the three R's" and the core academic curriculum, or special education

Enrollment - Meeting the challenges presented by the growth in student population at all three schools; where possible, alternatives for accommodating the student population need to be explored and assessed

Capital - Continued capital investment to ensure that the school buildings are maintained in a safe and appropriate physical condition and enhanced and upgraded where warranted.

JV To balance all the constituencies is simple, keep the community informed and give homeowners what they want-academic excellence and reasonable tax increases.

PA Balancing divergent perspectives is a continual challenge. The key word is "balance;" when opinions conflict, "bookend" views rarely prevail. As we are all part of the same community, we must respect differing views, encourage cooperation, seek a balance - a middle ground - without compromising the quality of education. Gaining the community's trust is fundamental to achieving cooperation, and transparency and open communication are key to gaining the public trust. I have tried to be a good listener, to ensure that opinions are not ignored. While during my tenure we have made great strides, improving communications and public relations is an ongoing process.

JV The 10.71 percent annual increase over the anticipated audited actual results is unacceptable. The school districts independent auditors have reported that the school district's budget in essence is inflated and unreliable and has led to homeowners paying too much in taxes.

The auditors found in each of the past two years the budgets asked for over $4 million or 6 percent more than was necessary for a total of $8 million. The school board, after the fact has admitted to a practice known as building "the rainy day fund."

Further, the $8 million left over from the budget was not returned to the homeowners but rather hidden from the public and moved to accounts to fund lawsuits.

PA The proposed budget deserves the support of the community to vote "yes". Mindful of the current economic environment, the Board directed the administration to moderate the year over year increase, while maintaining the academic and extracurricular programs that are the hallmarks of educating Manhasset's youth. The 4.71 percent increase in appropriations is below the 5.05 percent average increase for Nassau County school districts. The proposed budget maintains current class size limits, enables increased Advanced Placement participation and provides for two new AP courses. The budget supports the high level of student participation in our successful fine arts and interscholastic athletic programs.

JV Public Trust has to be restored. Homeowners can restore trust by voting for the right trustee.

PA The opportunity for community input to the proposed budget was exceptional - full Saturday public work session, numerous evening meetings, active participation by the CAC-Finance, a lengthy document providing detailed disclosure, analytic presentations of key drivers and the District's fiscal profile. Process improvements continue to be made, while seeking to implement best practices. Yet only a small portion of our community engages in the process. We can all find some line item we would change, but I do not believe that is the productive way to look at this budget. I hope that the voters take a similar view and support the budget.

JV The school enrollment is projected to decline significantly not increase, which was disclosed recently by the school district.

Regarding traffic problems, regardless of enrollment, the school district, in the spirit of "Green" and the environment, should encourage students and parents to use the school buses.

PA The board is very sensitive to these problems and continues to seek solutions, however, our options are fairly limited, as the answer requires land, space, and money. Expanding the existing building footprints exacerbates traffic problems and cannibalizes our need for field space. At the secondary school, an obvious alternative is to free up some space by moving central district administration to an alternate location, something that we have considered and will explore. On the elementary level, it would be terrific if we could find the space and money to build another building, but to date those opportunities have not presented themselves.

JV The buildings should provide an environment that is conducive to learning and a quality education. We trust the recent $20,000,000 building repair bond referendum coupled with budget allocations for maintenance are more than adequate to make the appropriate improvements.

PA We understand the community does not provide the school district with a "blank check." With the support of the community in establishing dedicated capital reserves and prudent spending funded by bond issues, the Board and administration have made significant progress over the past 24 months in tackling deferred maintenance. Key work on building infrastructure will continue this summer. On-going maintenance is critical to ensuring that unforeseen repair costs do not create surprises. We are striving to balance annual maintenance and projects paid for through earmarked funding in the yearly operating budget, while setting aside capital monies for larger, expensive projects.

JV Teachers are at the heart of education. Excellent teachers should be paid a meaningful salary, and they are. However teacher's compensation is much more than just salary, there are benefits and benefits have become exorbitant and threaten the viability of the school district. The school district's rush to sign a union contract behind close doors without community input was regrettably a mistake and has led to spiraling expenditures which the community must bear.

PA Teachers have a profound influence on educating and preparing children for adulthood through developing their individual talents and abilities. We are fortunate to have the dedicated cadre of skilled and involved professional teachers that we have in Manhasset. In looking at the prospect of a new contract, the Board was mindful of balancing budgetary pressures with providing a stable teaching environment. Importantly, the recently negotiated four-year contract reflects annual increases that are in line with or below other districts in Nassau County, without protracted negotiations that are unsettling and distracting to the goals of teaching our children.

JV I believe it is essential the school district offer and provide a full array of athletic programs. I support an effective athletic program coupled with high academic standards. Excellent schools have excellent extracurricular activities where students are afforded the opportunity to participate and develop their personal skills including leadership, self-confidence, and dedication.

PA Participation in athletics teaches lifelong lessons in areas not always easily taught in the classroom - teamwork, physical well-being, sportsmanship - while keeping kids focused, engaged and contributing to school community spirit. Athletics are a vital component of our extracurricular programs, with coaches providing important role models for our youth. Athletics clearly play an important role in the college admissions process, even when vying for entrance to top tier universities. Increasing secondary school enrollment and limited field space creates tremendous challenges. We are grateful for the community members and organizations that work in creative partnership to support our athletic programs.

JV An excellent education includes art, drama and music because children can discover their uniqueness through the arts. Children have different talents and should be given the opportunity to develop and express those talents through arts. Manhasset recognized this concept and has a full program of art, music and drama. Many of our students have been inspired by their high school art, music or drama program to pursue a career in the arts.

PA Participation in athletics teaches lifelong lessons in areas not always easily taught in the classroom - teamwork, physical well-being, sportsmanship - while keeping kids focused, engaged and contributing to school community spirit. Athletics are a vital component of our extracurricular programs, with coaches providing important role models for our youth. Athletics clearly play an important role in the college admissions process, even when vying for entrance to top tier universities. Increasing secondary school enrollment and limited field space creates tremendous challenges. We are grateful for the community members and organizations that work in creative partnership to support our athletic programs.

JV I believe the best education possible is always the goal, nothing less. We should strive to be the top academic school district in Long Island and operate as productively, and efficiently as our peers.

PA The Board and administration continue to examine components of our budget - to seek ways to balance our financial responsibilities by spending our money efficiently and wisely. Under the guidance of the Board, our present administration has strengthened the transparency, fiscal discipline and financial health of the District. Views differ on what measure gauges whether we are providing the "best education." We need to constantly benchmark ourselves against other districts - assess how our students perform and evaluate what other districts provide, how they provide it, at what cost, and work with neighboring districts where cooperative endeavors will provide mutual benefits.