The following three candidates are running for two at large seats on the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District's Board of Education. Residents will vote for two candidates, who will serve a three-year term. The PTA Council is hosting a meet the candidates night on May 9 at 7 p.m. at POB Middle School.

Angel Cipeda has been a resident of Plainview for 12 years. Since 1990, Cipeda has worked at Paul Scherer & Company LLP in New York City, a full service professional accounting firm, presently as IT audit manager. Prior to Paul Scherer, he worked at BankAmerica International, NYC, in the Internal Control & Audit department.

Cipeda currently serves on the Finance Committee of Shelter Rock Church, Syosset/Manhasset, and in 1991 served a two-year term as treasurer on the board of directors for Forest Hills South Inc., in Forest Hills.

According to Cipeda, the crushing burden of school taxes is clearly the number one issue. "We must find ways to control costs while providing our children a quality education," he said. "I will reach out to fellow professionals in our community and ask them to give of their time to serve on budget advisory and audit committees. I will work with the POB Congress of Teachers in a spirit of cooperation to identify and implement changes that will make our system of education more efficient and effective. I will listen and work with our PTA's as we strive to achieve the highest quality education for our children. I will reach out and work with various community groups to demand our legislators change the archaic laws and regulations that place such a heavy financial burden on our education system and community."

According to Cipeda, there are many vulnerable residents - house rich and income poor. "The board of education has a duty not only to the children and parents of our community, but also to the seniors, homeowners and business owners," said Cipeda. "As a board of education member I will keep my eye on the big picture and be accountable to all our residents for the fiscal and educational health of our community. I have the skills, experience and desire to make a difference and would be honored to serve as a member of the POB Board of Education."

Angel and his wife Marlene have two daughters, Candice and Alexa. Marlene presently serves as chairperson on the PTA Nutrition Committee.

Incumbent school board member Jonathan Mosenson grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1983 with a degree in accounting.

After graduation, Mosenson immediately moved to New York and co-founded J&G Associates, Inc., an insurance and financial services company located in Plainview.

In 1988, Mosenson married Andrea, now a professor at Queens College. Jonathan and Andrea have two daughters, Rachel, a tenth-grader attending Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School HS and Stefanie, a seventh-grader attending POB Middle School.

Mosenson was first elected to the board of education in 2000 and is currently serving as president for a second time. During his tenure on the board, Mosenson said he has continued to support smaller class sizes and enrichment for all programs that give all children the opportunity to reach their maximum potential. In addition, Mosenson states that his entrepreneurial skills have aided him in analyzing the annual budget and other financial proposals impacting the schools and community.

Mosenson said that he is aware of the burden on the taxpayers and has strived to reach a balance between a quality educational program and an operating budget the community can support.

Incumbent board member Evy Rothman and her husband Jerry have lived in Plainview for 28 years, and for 24 of those years, she's been active in the school district. She has served as PTA council president and as a school board member for 12 years, earning distinction for Achievement in Training and Development from the NYS School Board Association. She is also the trustee for the Teacher's and Teamster's Welfare Funds.

Rothman has a master's degree in special education from Brooklyn College and has taught special education in public and private schools. She is currently an educational consultant for the "Bully Frog Program," an early intervention, interactive, K-8 bully prevention program. She works directly with children, conducts staff development and parent workshops.

Rothman has been the Nassau Region of Hadassah Membership VP, as well as the co-chair of the Breast Cancer Awareness Task Force, the chair of the Read-Write-Now Program, and is the journal chair for the Town of Oyster Bay Hadassah Chapter.

Rothman states that her professional, as well as her volunteer, experience has enabled her to form productive partnerships to accomplish goals such as, Reading Recovery, collaborative class models, Academic Intervention Services, appropriate class size, K-12 Independent Research Program, increase in AP courses, continued support for clubs, sport teams, the Senior Citizen Club, and much more.

She said she is concerned about the many financial challenges facing education today, and as a result, would like to explore associations with the private sector for alternate sources of funding, investigation of energy conservation costs, and research and application for appropriate grant money.

Additionally, Rothman advocates for the need to improve district test scores, while maintaining a well-rounded, quality education for our children. She states that she is committed to working on the board's 2006-07 goal to formulate a new district wellness policy, to include changes in the district's health, nutrition and physical education programs.