Three years ago Paul DeLetto, age 37, got involved in local politics when he became a founding member of the Arlyn Oaks Civic Association.

At the time, the district was engaged in a bitter debate between the school board, the administration, local officials, and residents of Arlyn Oaks over the district's policy of using the Lee Place Walkway to calculate distances to Unqua School. Because of the policy, about 40 children were excluded from bus service to Unqua School.

DeLetto said that the continuing busing dispute is not a money dispute that the district is facing, he said that sometimes "personal feelings get involved with school policy."

DeLetto said that he would like to see the children in Arlyn Oaks receive bus service to school. "I'm big on not saving a little money to help the children."

DeLetto's wife, Ann, was one of the petitioners on the 1996 legal suit against the school district on behalf of their son. "My wife and I aren't just people who stand by, we get involved," said DeLetto.

DeLetto is the owner of the Wood and Mica Technology Company where he makes crafts and furniture. He is a member of the Town of Oyster Bay's softball league, a member of St. Rose of Lima Church, and a coach of PAL Basketball, Little League Basketball, and PAL Baseball. He said that he is running for the board of education because he wants to "make things better for District 23."

DeLetto said that he wants to make education the priority of the school board with a focus on safety, including having seat belts on all buses. He said that a "mutual respect" needs to be developed with children to make them better students. "I honestly believe that with giving them a little tender care, hopefully they'll do the same in return."

He also said that new faces are needed on the board of education to resolve the hard feelings between teachers and the district in the wake of the contract dispute. DeLetto hopes that within the next two elections that there will be a completely new board. "Teachers have such a hard time with people on the board that it just can't be worked out," said DeLetto, "I honestly believe a bunch of fresh faces would do it."

DeLetto has three children, two of whom attend Unqua School.

- Eric Usinger

Before the petitions were handed in for this year's school board elections, there was some skepticism as to whether or not incumbent Trustee Mike DiDonato was going to run for re-election. But, as the chairman of the district's Buildings and Grounds Committee, DiDonato says that there still is a great deal of work to be done.

Over the past year, the committee went through many steps in determining the level of repairs that the district's school buildings need. And when the list was completed by the Buildings and Grounds Steering Committee, they recommended $70 million in priority projects.

"These buildings are bricks and sticks," said DiDonato, "They were not made of steel and now they need to be attended to."

DiDonato said that he would like to see the district pass some form of a bond issue to address the district's aging buildings. If not, he said, "I think people will look back and say 'why didn't you do it?'"

And while he said the buildings need to be addressed to save the district money in the future, DiDonato also said that elementary school curriculum needs to be addressed to do the same. While not a proponent of either phonics or whole language techniques, he said, "you can't be restrictive to one, you need to be able to deploy both."

He said that teachers need to be trained in both reading techniques. "Teachers need to have the ability to make the necessary adjustments," said DiDonato, "if phonics works for one student at one time, then use it."

At 45 years old, DiDonato, who is president of a commercial real estate company, has three children attending Birch Lane School and has lived in Massapequa for 20 years. He's a CYO basketball coach, a 5-year manager of the Coast Little League, a Columbus Lodge 3rd Degree Knight, a member of the Real Estate Committee for the Board of Long Island Catholic Charities.

"It was an idea where I could effectuate change," said DiDonato in explaining why he first ran for the school board in 1995. "With three children [attending school] I have a large investment in the school district."

- Eric Usinger

In 1995 Arlene Martin, age 62, retired from the Massapequa School District after 31 years of teaching both as a teacher at Birch Lane School and as the director of Massapequa's teacher center M-Track. Since then, she has served as an adjunct professor at Moloy College.

It is with this strong background in education that Martin said she is running for the school board. As the director of the teacher's center, Martin takes credit for earning almost $725,000 in special grants to provide funds for teacher conferences, in-service training, faculty resources, and special academic programs for students.

Martin said that she wants to heal hard feelings between the teachers and the board of education. "There is a tremendous divide in the community," she said, while calling for more programs between the community and the staff to "help foster an environment of trust.

"I don't think anybody wins in a labor contract [negotiation] that lasts three years," said Martin.

"I want to have more activities where the educational staff, parents, and community members have some kind of forum," she said.

And although she has received the support of Massapequa Federation of Teacher's President Ruth Emler in a formal endorsement by the MFT, she said, "I have never been heavily involved in union affairs."

Martin said that the school district needs to establish its own report cards, and not to rate itself by the New York State Standards. She said that the NYS levels are too low and that the district should establish a five-year curriculum plan for the district.

"I will not accept a budget that is not fiscally responsible to the taxpayers," she said, adding that the district needs to reallocate funds for efficiency instead of raising taxes. Martin said she would seek private grants to offset the tax rate and to enhance the special education budget.

"I am not in favor of any inclusion, of any mainstreaming, that the staff is not absolutely positive would benefit the child," Martin said, adding that "we can not control the number of students who need special services."

- Eric Usinger

Living in Massapequa her entire life, Kathy Sullivan remembers a time when people would say "wow Massapequa" when asked what town she was from. "I want to hear 'wow Massapequa' again," said Sullivan.

Sullivan, at age 47, has a resume of voluntary educational activities which is long and extensive. The current president of the Massapequa PTA Council, she is also a member of Assemblyman Steven Labriola's Educational Advisory Committee, St. Rose of Lima's Public Policy Education Network, a Girl Scout Parent Leader, Massapequa's COPE committee, and chairperson of the Nassau District PTA.

"I want to see education be the priority again," said Sullivan, "I want to go to a board of education meeting to see educational issues on the agenda."

Sullivan, who has a daughter in Berner Junior High, said that she is upset that the contract dispute lasted three years. "As a parent and a taxpayer, there's a part of me that resents that it overshadowed everything," she said, adding that the union leadership did a poor job of informing their membership about the status of the negotiations. "If everyone knew what was going on, this could have been over with sooner."

Sullivan said that she is understanding of what it's like to live on a fixed income and would be very sensitive to increasing taxes and passing a bond issue.

The bond issue, she said, is necessary but needs to be addressed carefully. "The district has a specific pot of money to work with, and that pot only goes so far," said Sullivan.

One of Sullivan's biggest concerns is with the State of New York's new academic standards.

"How dare the state say that children be pushed beyond their limits," she said. Sullivan would like to see the passing grade at the former C-Track level (now called general track) be lowered to 55 percent. She fears that the new state standards will increase the drop out rate in Massapequa. "Should we have kids strive to be the best they can, absolutely," said Sullivan, "However, every child has a limit."

But, she said, the school district needs to push kids who are capable into taking harder classes and harder tests.

At the elementary school level, Sullivan would like to see the district provide a greater emphasis in phonics and less emphasis on whole language. "I don't see how a child can read without learning the sounds of a letter," said Sullivan.

- Eric Usinger