Schools

Massapequa School Board Candidates Meet the Public

Taxes, salaries and finances discussed at candidates forum.

Increasing taxes and the challenges of funding school programs were very much on the mind of school board candidates Wednesday night as they participated in a forum at

All four candidates who are running for the two seats at stake in the May 17 election participated in "Meet The Candidates" night.

Two incumbents, Christine Lupetin Perrino and Jane Ryan pointed to the record of the current board during the event. While the two challengers, Gary Bennett and Carl Hoops questioned the district's spending practices.

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The two candidates who receive the most votes amongst the four on the ballot will be elected to the board. 

Each candidate was given the opportunity to make opening and closing statements, and answered written questions from audience members.

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Bennett expressed displeasure with the salaries being given to top school officials. 

"The only people prospering from this devastating economy are administrators whose salaries have nearly tripled over eight years," he said. "The budget has doubled in just 10 years, while home values have plummeted almost 30 percent in that same period."

He also said that Massapequa has "more administrators ratio-wise than any school district in New York state."

Perrino praised the district's record on cutting costs saying students are getting more bang for the taxpayer's buck.

"Back in 2002, when I was first elected, Massapequa was spending $2,847 less per student than the Nassau County average, she said.

"Nine years later Massapequa has the district offering our students a well rounded academic program while spending $4,278 less per student which equates to 21 percent less than the county average."

Later she cited more statistics from Nassau BOCES stating that administrative costs in Massapequa are the second lowest per pupil in Nassau County.

But Hoops advocated even less spending. He also criticized the district's use of reserve funds, often called "rainy day funds,"  which offset some of the taxes charged to area residents.

"The rainy days have been here for the last four years and in those four years, the board has been giving administrators between $25,000 and $50,000 in raises," he said. "Our taxes have skyrocketed, and we have to pay for their raises."

Ryan acknowledged the burden on the taxpayers but said the problem was coming from other costs.

"The economic times are very difficult and it's getting harder and harder to continue to fund the programs that we have in light of the unfunded mandates, particularly the retirement costs that we're faced with and the tax caps we're talking about," she said.

"But I think this district has zeroed in on some very good cost saving measures."

One thing all of the candidates agreed on was that they did not wish to cut student programs while making up the budget. Perrino, Bennett and Hoops also had a rare moment of agreement when they all said they support Massapequa High School's open campus policy although Bennett expressed some reservations about students crossing Merrick Road at lunchtime. Ryan said she generally opposes open campuses.

The forum was sponsored by the Massapequa PTA and moderated by the League of Women Voters of Nassau County.


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