Vote Today For School Board Seats and Budget

Vote Today (May 21st) for school board candidates and the WHUFSD budget: We at Echo do not endorse candidates but we do endorse that you exercise your RIGHT TO VOTE! So walk, bike, drive and make your way to the Middle School on Nassau Blvd and vote between 7 AM and 9 PM. On the ballot – the districts proposed $77.8 million dollar budget along with two board seats.

Previous Coverage: 

There was far more common ground than division at a forum for West Hempstead school board last night (5/14), as candidates discussed the budget and their visions for the district and its students.  (see videos below) 

The 90-minute debate featured questions from audience members and an opportunity for challengers Rachel Kushner and Aaron Zelig to make their case to succeed incumbents Andrea Shinsato and Kurt Rockensies, respectively, who are up for re-election this year. (Board seat terms are staggered in order to minimize turnover each year.)

The cordial tone of the event, in which candidates avoided any personal criticism often agreed with one another, was in contrast to the tense exchanges sometimes heard at trustee meetings as the board seeks to pass a nearly $78M budget, with a  3.34% increase over last year, projected to raise the collective school tax levy by about $1.2M. 

Kushner, Shinsato and Rockensies, for example, all agreed it was important for the high school to implement trade-focused programs that recognize that not every student is suited for college.

Of the candidates, Zelig – a 10-year resident who works in operations at an undisclosed company, took on the strongest posture of a reformer. He said if elected his focus would be on increasing transparency, providing greater insight into numbers in the budget presentations, such as the net cost of busing (after revenues) and the true cost per student in the district. He also supported taking on a consultant to find a way to reduce rising transportation costs, since the district is currently locked in a provider contract agreement. 

 
Zelig also stressed increasing enrollment to get more state aid and taking fuller advantage of federal funding for universal pre-K, since some slots went unused last year. 
 
Addressing transportation costs, Kushner said she’d explore group pickups, but said her focus would be on larger expense reduction efforts elsewhere. A physician who runs a dermatology practice and a 22-year town resident, Kushner said if elected she would focus on increasing communication with parents. She also stressed the need for more mental health support resources for students. “If kids are not emotionally healthy, they can’t learn,” she said.
 

Shinsato noted that school had recently entered into a partnership with Northwell Health that allows direct referrals for students. “Social and emotional health goes hand in hand with our curriculum,” she said.

A 22-year resident who is a case coordinator for EAC, a non-profit children and families advocacy group, Shinsato expressed pride in the district’s growth and her role as a trustee for the past nine years and programs that “cultivate a culture of lifetime learners.” She said she would like to see the district “be a magnet district to other school districts” with continued excellence.

 

Rockensies, a Town of Hempstead Deputy Commissioner working in occupational resources and 30-year town resident, said that he brings to the board the perspective of a former parochial school student who later graduated from West Hempstead High School, in whose auditorium the event was held.

All the candidates agreed on the need for robust extracurricular activities such as sports teams, art programs and drama clubs, although Zelig said it was equally important to meet special needs requirements for students in order to avoid costly lawsuits. Rockensies said he’d like to see more business-focused classes and college-credit opportunities. Shinsato noted the success of a dignity and tolerance club this year as well as an art program that allowed students to display their work at a local art museum.

When asked what they would do to bring the community closer together despite differences on the budget, Rockensies said he would work to keep people informed about events at school facilities that are “free and open to all,” while Shinsato stressed the importance of trustees being accessible at community events, in person, so that they are not only seen by the public at board meetings.
 
 Zelig called for greater participation in those board meetings, noting that at times he has seen as few as five people in the audience. He said participation in the meetings via Zoom had fallen since a recent board decision not to accept questions remotely, a move Zelig opposes. Kushner cited her own experience bringing people together as a physician, foster parent and private school board member, being “relatable to a lot of different people.”

 

Voters will have their say on May 21, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the North Gymnasium of West Hempstead Secondary School. They will also vote on the budget at the same time.

Below Interviews with:

Rachel Kushner. Seat 1

Andrea Shinsato: Seat 1 

Aaron Zelig: Seat 2 

Kurt Rockensies: Seat 2

 

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