Residents inside the Plainedge School District are preparing for the school board vote scheduled for May 16.

Candidates met with the public on Monday evening, May 1, and addressed some of Plainedge's most pressing concerns, vying for the most votes. There are three open seats on the school board this year, and the candidates who obtain the most votes will win those seats. In the Plainedge School District, candidates do not run for specific seats, but that could also change on May 16, since there is a proposition on the ballot to make candidates run for specified seats.

There are three incumbents in the run, they include Rhona Vitagliano, Josephine Reder, and Keith Wilson. The three challengers are Richard Mallow, Thomas Dick and Donald Risucci. Recently, each candidate sat down to discuss their credentials and their vision.

Vitagliano is an incumbent who's been on the school board for the past 15 years. For the last four years, she has been vice president of the board, and president the prior seven years. She brings to the table an understanding of district policy and experience, and touts the percentage of Plainedge students heading off to college as the highest ever.

"When I first moved to this district 29 years ago, you couldn't sell your home," said Vitagliano. "Now it is a much sought-after area."

Vitagliano attributes the demand for homes in Plainedge to district standards set by the board. She added that only 60 percent of Plainedge students entered colleges when she first entered the district. "Now it's between 90 and 95 percent...and they're being accepted to the most prestigious colleges."

Some of the policies she helped spearhead include placing a district- wide, no-social-promotion policy, supporting a nine-period day to help students pass vigorous standards set by the state, and putting into effect a support program for at-risk children. "Each child should get the education they deserved, from our most vulnerable to our most achieving population," she said.

There are challenges ahead for the district, she said. Some of the issues facing Plainedge now are the space problems resulting from increased enrollments, the state curriculum mandate, and societal changes effecting the entire country. Her goal is "to provide a safe environment to learn."

"I care very much about this district. I'm committed and I gave years of service. Experience and vision are important," she said. "That will determine what happens to students and to the quality of life in this town."

Mallow ran for the Plainedge school board five years ago, but that won't hinder him from giving it another try. He is an 11 year resident of the school district, and has one son in the fourth grade, and a daughter who will enter Kindergarten this fall.

The father of two considers himself "a good decision maker," both in his personal and professional life, and believes his connection with the community makes him a viable candidate.

"We need a change. We need people who are in touch with what's going on," said Mallow. "We need to develop respect and trust between the board and the community, and the board and the teachers."

Mallow said he mistrusts the current board, especially regarding the $50 million bond Plainedge residents will decide on in June. "I don't believe we have all the information," he said. "They're asking for a lot of money, and they've flip-flopped so many times."

Mallow explained that if the board approached the public with several options of how to find cost effective means to spend the money, or alternative building ideas, the mistrust could be rectified.

"I'd look at different architects, and have them show [the board] what they can do, so we can evaluate," he said.

He also said all issues should be discussed and passed on to the community, which he believes in not happening.

"A good, well-rounded student should be given as much extra-curricular activities that they can get...That's what gets kid scholarships," he said. "It's not just about sports or academics, it's about having a well-rounded education," said Mallow.

Keith Wilson is a school board incumbent of nine years, and is vying for his fourth term of office. Wilson is a 33-year resident of Plainedge, an '82 graduate of Plainedge High School, a Town of Oyster Bay employee, and a part-time real estate agent and mortgage consultant.

On the board, Wilson held various posts. He was the BOCES Liaison, a representative of the budget committee, and helped found the Educational Partnership Foundation.

He has also gone to every New York State conference, and wrote an unfounded grievance resolution, unanimously accepted at the New York State convention in 1997, which declared legal costs resulting from unfounded grievance charges must be paid for by the teacher's union.

Wilson supports both the bond and the budget, which he called "tough, but our children need a good education, too." He said the budget will help the district to hire eight more teachers to cover the additional period, and to pay for a fleet of five mini-buses, which are on their last legs.

He is sensitive to the older population, and those with no children in the district. Wilson said he would like New York State to end property tax as a means to fund schools, calling it "egregious and erroneous." Instead, Wilson said a flat tax or an income tax would be a fairer means to raise money for schools.

Tom Dick is running his first campaign for the Plainedge school board. He was born and raised in the Plainedge school district, and moved back to the district four years ago. He has two children, a fourth-grader and a first-grader, in the school district.

"I'm very involved with children," said Dick, who coaches children's sports.

He also considers himself concerned about Plainedge's academics. "[People] don't realize what academics can do for a person in the real world, it's frustrating to see," he said.

Of Dick's top concerns, he wonders why Plainedge students are never mentioned in national contests, such as Intel's, or seldom receive press for their academic attributes. "Why is that? Do we need better facilities? Better teachers? What types of programs are available?"

Dick manages applications development for an insurance company, and said hid daily decision making ranges from strategic, tactical to emergency. He said his ability to make important decisions would be carried to the school board.

As far as the upcoming budget and bond votes, he said he is sensitive to property tax increases, and cites the lack of commercial real estate in Plainedge as one reason school tax rates are high. "I understand the issues of the children and of the older community."

Donald Risucci, who holds a Ph.D. from Hofstra in Psychological Research, is a school board candidate for the first time. He has lived in Plainedge for the last 11 years, and has a son in the second grade.

He is running for the board because he sees "a lack of trust between the community and the current school board."

That mistrust is based on several factors, including left over resentment from teacher contract negotiations two years ago, and the way money is spent. Recently, the school board was reprimanded for building a board room not sent out to bid. "These are all questionable practices," he said.

He doesn't like the style of interaction the board has with the community at meetings. He said meetings often turn into shouting matches, further alienating the community from the board.

How would he do things differently? To start, he said he would be honest with the community, and obey all the rules on spending money. "I would establish professional relationships with teachers and unions to negotiate long before their contract is up to avoid past problems," he said.

"My vision is to raise academic achievement, and to hold those responsible to a higher standard," he said. "I would also like to reach out to children, get input on how school is operated, and what they want and deem necessary for their futures."

Josephine Reder, an incumbent, was unavailable for comment.