Five residents, Jesse Bachrach, Saundra Gumerove-Bernstein, Jack Feldman, Claire Hochheiser and incumbent Barbara Krieger, are running for two open seats on the Jericho School Board. This is an at large election and the candidates who receive the most votes will fill the two open seats beginning July 1.

Barbara Krieger and Toni Meliambro's seats are up for re-election this year. Meliambro pulled her petition late last week opening the door for more candidates to submit petitions. Jesse Bachrach and Claire Hochheiser were added to the ballot earlier this week.

Information on the candidates is included here, and listed in alphabetical order. The information was obtained through phone interviews with candidates, bios that were sent into the paper and the meet the candidates night, held on May 10.

Jesse Bachrach, an 18-year-old Jericho High School senior, is running for election to the board, despite rumors that he was going to withdraw from the race. At Tuesday's meet the candidate night, Bachrach said he was approached at school by two of the other board candidates who asked him to withdraw from the race and put his support behind them. "I am not in the election to be a puppet and help other candidates," said Bachrach. "I ask you all to question their motives and question their line of thinking when voting. They are running for the wrong reasons. Voting for them is a wasted vote."

Bachrach, the first high school senior to run for the board in Jericho, said he brings a unique perspective to the board and has no political paybacks to make or hidden agendas. He stressed the importance of residents passing the budget and applauded the current board for their hard work during the budget process.

If elected, Bachrach hopes to have a more open board and heightened community awareness. He promotes direct community involvement. "If you can't come to the board, I will come to you," he said. "The board of education needs new blood and a new approach to how it conducts business."

At meet the candidates night, Bachrach said that he supports the inclusion program that Jericho currently has.

Bachrach believes that the PTA is successful and they do their part to get everyone involved, but there is always room for improvement. "We need more participation," said Bachrach. "Families should come to more events and we should stress family involvement."

Bachrach said that community involvement within the district is very important and said that was one of his main reasons for running for the board - to strengthen community involvement.

When asked about his thoughts on budget cuts, Bachrach said there are more creative approaches that should be explored in the budget process. He suggested starting a committee comprised of residents and use them as resources to get ideas.

Bringing a student's perspective to the board, Bachrach said, was very important. He suggested making students aware of colleges before it is time to apply to make the process easier. He also suggested polling middle school students to see what programs they would be interested in the high school and polling graduates to see what programs they liked and disliked. This, he said, would be beneficial and get more students involved in programs and in the decision-making process.

When asked about his thoughts regarding the board's privacy policy, Bachrach said that the community has a right to know what is going on, but it is important for the board to respect the privacy restraints that they have. "The board can't always reflect what the community is thinking," said Bachrach.

Bachrach, who was endorsed by the Birchwood Civic Association, cited the two main concerns facing the board right now as the budget and the relationship between the residents, taxpayers and students.

"This has been a learning experience and I am growing everyday," said Bachrach. "I am not withdrawing from this race and I plan to have my ideas carried out. Even if I am not elected this year, as long as my ideas get carried out, I was successful. If I get more people involved in the process and more people out to vote, then I was successful. I am not running as a politician like other people are, I am running for the community and for the issues."

Saundra Gumerove-Bernstein sat on the Jericho School Board from 2001 - 2004 and said she is running again this year using her experience as a guide. She has lived in Jericho since 1956 and is a Jericho High School graduate. She attended American University in Washington, D.C. and Hofstra Law School and has since opened her own law practice focusing on areas such as corporate law, banking, commercial finance, real estate, workouts, and creditors' rights.

Gumerove-Bernstein said that she is a child advocate and is running because the current board is out of touch with the community, including the faculty. She also said that although she supports the school budget, she feels that there are major issues with the allocation of funds.

"The current board is more interested in supporting the superintendent than it is on meeting the needs of the students and our community, and therefore has breached its fiduciary responsibility to its constituencies," said Gumerove-Bernstein, who has attended almost all school board meetings. "There is a leadership vacuum that cries out for an independent voice. I believe that I can, as I have in the past, provide an independent voice."

Gumerove-Bernstein is the Jericho High School Industry Advisory Board founding member, a member of the Jericho High School Career Day Committee, vice president of Nassau AHRC and chairperson of the AHRC Government Relations Committee.

Gumerove-Bernstein was a delegate to the New York State School Boards Delegate Assembly from 2001-2004 and active in raising issues as they relate to state standardized tests.

When asked about her thoughts on Jericho's programs, Gumerove-Bernstein said that the inclusion program is very successful. She also said that she is against the no child left behind act, as it is an unfunded mandate. "One size doesn't fit all and the students shouldn't be penalized because of that," said Gumerove-Bernstein.

According to Gumerove-Bernstein, the Jericho PTA is more active in the elementary schools and she said that involvement should continue through all of the schools. "I know that many people work in this community and have busy lives," said Gumerove-Bernstein. "People should get more involved and maybe a way of increasing involvement is by reaching out to those who don't have children in the district."

In regard to privacy issues on the board, Gumerove-Bernstein said, "the board needs to entertain issues but also show respect for the community. Once they hear input, the board should reconsider their decision on certain issues."

Gumerove-Bernstein said that the biggest issues facing the board at this time are figuring out a way to bring the community together and helping the administration realize that they have built a wall between themselves and the community. She also said that everyone doesn't need to agree all of the time as long as people are representing the children fairly.

When asked about Bachrach's comments on candidates asking him to drop out of the race, Gumerove-Bernstein said, "I never asked him to resign, but I did tell him that if he withdrew from the race, like I heard he was going to do, to put his support behind me."

Gumerove-Bernstein, who was endorsed by the Birchwood Civic Association, said she is very dedicated to community affairs. She is a member of the Birchwood Civic Association Board of Directors where she is a current and active board member. She has also served on the Board of directors of the Sturge Weber Foundation. Gumerove-Bernstein is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Jack Feldman received his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 1976 and has represented public school districts since 1987 in the capacity as both general and labor counsel. He stated he is familiar with the laws that guide school boards and the need to conduct district business in the "broad daylight."

Feldman has handled the defense of public school districts in major federal litigation involving many issues. Feldman also advises and trains board members about their duties regarding managing buildings and building budgets, special education and educational specialists, school business accounting and accountability.

When asked to respond to a rumor that he was the personal attorney for Superintendent of Schools Hank Grishman, Feldman said that was untrue and, in fact, he doesn't represent any superintendents, only school boards.

Feldman said that he supports the school budget and would be an asset to the board in many capacities. "I have been in the community for three years and I have no agenda and no enemies," said Feldman. "I am looking to build up a program, not knock anything down."

Feldman said that he has not attended Jericho's school board meetings in the past because of conflicts with his work schedule, but said he made changes in his schedule to ensure that he will be at future board meetings. "I understand the community and the needs of the community and didn't need to be at a board meeting to do that," said Feldman. "I also know how to be a great school board member from my professional career."

At the meet the candidates night, Feldman commented on some of Jericho's programs and said that Jericho's inclusion program is exceptional, but thought the No Child Left Behind policy was expensive. "It stresses testing rather than progress," said Feldman. "It is teaching to the test and that is not good for the students."

According to Feldman, the PTA is an integral part of the school system and more involvement from the community would help. "We need better communication to let people know about events and let the community know what the PTA is planning," said Feldman.

In addition to community involvement, Feldman said that more people need to get out and vote. "People are not coming out and they are not voting. We need to attract them to these events," said Feldman.

Budget cuts and budget restraints are a concern for board members and Feldman said that alternative sources of funding should be explored. "If we did an energy audit, I bet we would save money," said Feldman. "Also, we should be getting more income from the school's swimming pool and the fields during the summer."

In regard to a question that was asked at meet the candidates night regarding the openness of the board, Feldman said, "Dissent is not always a bad thing. The board has limits and all you can do is voice your opinion. After the decision is made, we have to move on from it."

According to Feldman, the two most pressing issues facing the board at this time are not being paralyzed by the recent circumstances at a board meeting and getting the budget passed.

When asked about Bachrach's comments on candidates asking him to drop out of the race, Feldman said, "I think what Jesse is doing is tremendous and anyone who tries to stop him is reprehensible."

Feldman, who was endorsed by the Oakwood Princeton Park Civic Association, the Birchwood Park Civic Association, White Birch/Old Jericho Civic Association and the Jericho Education Administrators Association, said he understands that the residents have a tough decision to make, but if residents want leadership, they should vote for him. "I will work with the board, the administration and the community to build consensus and establish priorities to meet the needs of our children," said Feldman. "In addition, I will respect the obligation of the taxpayers to spend wisely and prudently and assure the integrity of the process."

Claire Hochheiser is running for Jericho School Board and brings 20 years of experience in education. Although presently employed by Jericho as the K-12 curriculum associate for special education, Hochheiser resigned from the position effective June 30 and is starting a new position July 1, allowing her to run for the school board.

Hochheiser has a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in reading. Ten of her 20 years in educational experience was spent at Jericho. And throughout that time, Hochheiser said she has proven to be an effective leader and moderator and encouraged high levels of student achievement.

Hochheiser said that she supports the budget this year, and has in the past, and believes that residents should vote to pass the budget. She said that she attends school board meetings and all of the budget workshops.

When asked at the meet the candidates night about her thoughts on Jericho's programs, Hochheiser said that she was part of starting the inclusion program at Jericho. She also said that she supports the No Child Left Behind program. "Since Jericho is an inclusion school this program is important," Hochheiser said. She also said that she is in favor of the open gate policy related to AP classes as more classified students are taking the tests.

When asked about the PTA's involvement in the school, Hochheiser said, "the PTA is very important. Without them we would not have a team approach."

Some people have raised questions about the lack of community involvement in Jericho. "The district does try and get people involved," said Hochheiser. "People have many activities going on and maybe an electronic system for the parents to be notified of PTA events would increase the community's involvement."

Hochheiser said, in regard to the budget, that she realizes that 85 percent of the budget is set, but said that the remaining 15 percent needed to be examined closely. She said that Jericho has reached "top-notch" academically and educational programs should be continued. Also, the diversity of the students should be taken into account when planning programs.

Stemming from a recent board of education meeting, the community has questioned the rights of the board dealing with privacy and personnel matters. "Personnel matters shouldn't be discussed," said Hochheiser. "The board should listen to the community and re-deliberate over the issue."

Hochheiser said that the most pressing issue facing the board right now is the lack of communication with the community. She said that, if elected, she would create stronger communication and consider all decisions with the best interest of the students in mind.

When asked about Bachrach's comments on candidates asking him to drop out of the race, Hochheiser said, "Jesse and I talked about him running and if it would be a conflict for a faculty member to run also. We discussed if he should be running."

Hochheiser, who was endorsed by the Birchwood Park Civic Association, said she has extensive experience dealing with effective resource allocation and cost saving analysis. "As a member of the Jericho Board of Education, I will continue to support a sound fiscal policy that takes into account the financial concerns of taxpayers, while prioritizing the needs of our children," said Hochheiser. "I will work tirelessly for our children and for our community. I will work with you and for you"

Barbara Krieger, current vice president of the Jericho Board of Education, is running for re-election based on her record. She has been a resident of Jericho since 1986 and a Jericho business owner. She has sat on the Jericho School Board of Education since 1999 and is completing her second three-year term. Krieger is the only candidate running that was ever re-elected to the board.

Krieger is an member of the Birchwood Civic Association and board member since 1992, a charter member of Jericho High School Industry Advisory board, past president, vice president and treasurer of George A. Jackson PTA, past vice president of Jericho Joint PTA Council, past treasurer of Jericho Middle School PTSA, an active member of JJC fundraising committee, Sisterhood, and Rabbi's class, past treasurer of Jericho's Chaverot Hadassah and a longtime member of SEPTA, Jericho's Special Education PTA.

Krieger has a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Albany and an MBA from New York University. She said she has a strong understanding for fiscal responsibility and considers herself an independent and analytical thinker and said that she is not aligned with any group.

When asked about the programs that Jericho offers, Krieger, who was endorsed by the Oakwood Princeton Park Civic Association, the Birchwood Park Civic Association, White Birch/Old Jericho Civic Association and the Jericho Education Administrators Association, said that she supports the inclusion program and was honored to support the building of the program. Krieger also said that the no child left behind act was a "nuisance and expensive." "Our kids our succeeding and we don't need the federal government to tell us when to test," said Krieger. She also said that she is in favor of the open gate policy with AP classes. "We have had tremendous success with it," she said.

As far as programs she would like to see in Jericho, Krieger said she would love to take advantage of the numerous colleges nearby and allow Jericho students to take classes there. "We have always been open to new programs and get ideas from everyone," said Krieger.

At the meet the candidate night, Krieger called the PTA "tremendous" and explained that the PTA council meets with the community and the superintendent to voice concerns and issues.

Krieger said that one of the greatest difficulties with the board is privacy. "The board gets to see personnel information that is classified," said Krieger. "We do what is right for the students, but the information is classified."

Krieger was an advocate of the open meetings law, which forced more board business to take place in public and also encourages public participation. She also considers herself an advocate for all children. She was responsible for implementing a series of school district goal workshops and offering the community participation in developing goals for district. The district goals are now posted at all meetings to ensure that new programs fit goals and no goal is ignored.

Krieger is proud of her many accomplishments during her two terms as a board member including successfully managing a bond issue, implementing the BRAVE anti-bullying program in middle school, introducing a public access defibrillation program and having all nurses, coaches and administrators trained in use of AED, developing the district website and improved communication with parents and the community with SNS email system.

When asked about Bachrach's comments on candidates asking him to drop out of the race, Krieger said, "Jesse's willingness to run is evidence of our district's success in encouraging students to take worthwhile risks and stand up for what they believe in. It's reprehensible that candidates who claim to advocate for our students would stifle Jesse's efforts toward an honorable goal. I welcome Jesse's participation in the school board race."