A lifelong resident of Williston Park with two children attending the Mineola schools, Will Hornberger is running for election to the Mineola Board of Education. Hornberger is running for the board because he believes the district is not providing all students with the tools necessary to pursue nor does the community receive the appropriate value related to the district costs.

A member of the Zero-Based Budget Sub-Committee and Financial Planning Committee, Hornberger has expressed his concern over school district spending and its impact on the taxpayers. Hornberger said one of his goals is to create a long term cost containment plan, which would relate to school reconfiguration and holding the line on contract negotiations, and initiate spending caps for certain areas of the budget.

Hornberger, who works in the financial services field, feels the board and the administration have not done enough to control costs. "I don't think contracts were viewed at the time they were negotiated for their long term impact. In years past, those negotiations were not favorable to the community. We have some of the highest paid contracts throughout our district whether it is teachers or administrators. Statistically, we're on the high end when it comes to contracts."

In order to find a way to cut costs, the financial planning committee recommended to the board that a grade configuration study be made. "I supported the need for a configuration study. I continue to support the need for school reconfiguration. At the time, we thought it would make sense financial. Our buildings are underutilized. We replicate functions throughout the home schools, which increase our costs. I still need to see the results from the community [survey] to understand what the community feels and see what options the community are best to pursue," said Hornberger.

Hornberger does agree with the assessment that the community is at a breaking point in terms of the school taxes it can afford as the Mineola School District spends over $28,000 per pupil, among the highest average in Nassau County. "We obviously have a high cost per student but the community doesn't feel it receives the proper value for that. Although we're one of the highest cost per pupil districts, our scores are middle of the road. We're not getting value for our money," he said. "We spend too much money on maintaining buildings, housing administrators in those buildings. At the same time, we haven't updated our science labs in decades. We don't have SMART Boards (interactive computer whiteboard displays) throughout the district. The education program is not excellent."

Among the initiatives Hornberger would like to implement is bringing language arts in the elementary schools. He feels that school reconfiguration and negotiation of labor contracts (negotiations are ongoing between the board and the Mineola Teachers Association) because, he said, "the long term implications there will determine how extensive the district's educational program will be. If we don't hold the line on contracts and we decide not to go with school reconfiguration, then your money is going to be tied up in buildings and salaries and benefits. You're not going to be able to spend money on technology and you're not going to be able to bring in new programs. Those are critical issues that face the district today."

Hornberger feels his financial background will help him and the community make informed decisions on those issues. In addition to being a member of the district financial planning committee, Hornberger also served as a member of the budget advisory committee. His community involvement includes coaching baseball for the Williston Park Little League and soccer for the Mineola Athletic Association and being a member of the Cross Street School PTA.

- Joe Rizza

A graduate of the Mineola School District with two sons currently attending the Mineola schools, Lisa Lao is running to retain her seat on the board of education. After having been appointed to the board in October to after former trustee Lawrence Carroll's resignation, Lao has served on the Mineola Board of Education for nearly seven months.

"It prepared my to decide that I belong there and that's why I'm running. I feel like I've caught up on the learning curve and I'm ready to hit the ground running. I really love it," she said.

In these times, the main issue voters are concerned about when it comes to school district are property taxes. "Every year, the cutting and the trimming and the fiscal responsibility is getting tighter and tighter. These things don't happen overnight. There's always room for improvement in any area but I absolutely think that they've come a long way with transparency. I think they put together a terrific budget this year," said Lao, alluding to the proposed 2008-2009 budget that calls for a 1.85 percent tax levy increase.

But, she said, " I don't think anybody anywhere could say they can stop. Inflation makes you have to re-look at everything differently every year. There's always more that can be done. I haven't heard anyone say that they're planning on stopping."

A major possible change the school district could undergo in the next few years is a reconfiguration of the grades and possible closure of a school or schools. A survey was mailed to the public last month to get feedback on what options residents favor.

"I hear both sides of it. I hear people saying that they don't want to close schools and then I hear people who are really angry and that's the only thing they want to do," Lao said. "My decision is going to be community-based. I'm very interested in what this community wants. This survey generated a lot of talk. I just hope we can do what it is that is best for the kids first. My fight is going to be that we make sure the equity in the students doesn't suffer in programs in any way, shape or form."

In the area of student performance, Lao said she is pleased that student achievement is improving. The argument some critics of the school district make is that Mineola has a high cost per pupil but isn't on par when it comes to state standardized test scores as some of the top achieving districts in the county.

Lao said Mineola's cost per pupil does raise eyebrows. "I agree it has to continue to be looked at," she said. "The biggest part of any business is staff, employee salaries and that's been an issue for many years in this district. I don't think that anyone is not trying to improve the value of our school district. I think over the years the board and the administration have been constantly improving. They're trying to bring up our scores and send more kids to four-year colleges and the higher level institutions."

In addition to serving as trustee on the school board, other school-based organizations Lao has served on include SEPTA, the Mineola School District Strategic Planning Committee, Jackson Avenue School Site-Based Management Team and the Mineola Music Parents.

She said she would like to work with the board to create more community-member advisory committees. "We need to communicate more regularly and with a larger representation of the district," she said.

She currently instructs and assists in the four computer labs at Great Neck South Middle School. Her professional experience also includes over 20 years of experience in business during which she was a general manager for American Express.

- Joe Rizza