Commack School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Commack High School and Commack Middle School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $160,732,838 for the 2010-11 school year, which is a 2.56 percent increase over the current budget of $156,717,059. The local tax levy would rise from $114,893,830 to $119,445,607 - a 3.96 increase.

Taxes on the average Smithtown home assessed at $6,000 would increase by 3.96 percent, from $8,404 to $8,737. Taxes on the average Huntington home assessed at $4,100 would increase by 3.96 percent, from $8,843 to $9,193.

The proposed budget calls for a reduction of 19.4 teaching positions and 9.6 other staff positions. There also would be several program and service cuts under the proposed budget, including postponement of repair work, reduction in class offerings and the elimination of eight junior varsity teams.

District website:

commack.k12.ny.us

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent Joseph Pennacchio is running against challengers Janine DiGirolamo and Paulette Mancuso, and incumbent Allen Leon is being challenged by Brian Bass, Jeffrey Egan and George Marine. Both seats have three-year terms.

Brian Bass

BACKGROUND: Bass, 45, is an attorney who has lived in the district for 17 years. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University at Albany and a law degree from Brooklyn College. He and his wife, Lori, have two children who attend school in the district.

ISSUES: Bass said, "The most important issue facing the Commack school district is academic integrity." He said he believes that, despite budget cuts and financial issues, the district must be focused on providing a quality education to students even if that means eliminating some positions and services. "I am not an advocate of cutting programs or increasing class size, but we have to look into eliminating either positions or services that are not utilized to their full potential," he said. "I want to make sure that there isn't a wasteful dissipation of taxpayer dollars." That way, he said he hopes to preserve the quality of education in Commack while also dealing with budgetary constraints.

Janine DiGirolamo

BACKGROUND: DiGirolamo, 46, is a stay-at-home mom who has lived in the district for 46 years. She earned a bachelor's degree from Farmingdale State College. She and her husband, Ben, have two children who both attend district schools. DiGirolamo participates in Mandracchia Sawmill Intermediate School's PTA and Commack Middle School's PTA. She is also corresponding secretary for the Commack PTA Council.

ISSUES: DiGirolamo said she is most concerned with the financial crisis facing the school district. She said she would "work tirelessly to network and lobby with local and state politicians to ensure that Commack taxpayers are duly represented." She also said she would focus on making sure taxpayers could be actively informed and involved in the district's programs and budget issues. "I'm very passionate about community awareness and keeping taxpayers informed," she said. "I think it's more important than ever that all the information that is possible is shared."

Jeffrey Egan

BACKGROUND: Egan, 48, owns two restaurant-bars and works as an adjunct professor at Farmingdale State College's School of Business. He earned a bachelor of science degree from SUNY Oneonta and a master's degree at the University of North Texas. He has lived in the district for 13 years. He and his wife, Heather, have four children, all of whom attend school in the district. He is vice president of the Suffolk County Restaurant Association, a member of the East Northport Chamber of Commerce, and he has coached for the Commack North Little League.

ISSUES: "As a business owner and college business professor, I think I bring a unique ability to tackle business decisions within an educational environment," Egan said. He said he is concerned with the budget problems the district faces and taxpayers' roles in fixing them. "Educators must use a strategy of comprehensive education to provide for the needs of students from a wide variety of abilities without overburdening taxpayers in the community," Egan said. "A district is a corporation, and our product is a good education. We have to run our school district as effectively and efficiently as possible."

Allen Leon

Leon did not return repeated calls for comment.

Paulette Mancuso

BACKGROUND: Mancuso, 46, is a respiratory therapist who has lived in the district for 20 years. She earned an associate degree in finance from Nassau Community College. She and her husband, Vincent, have three children who currently attend district schools. She has chaired the district PTA council budget committee for four years, has been on the executive board of several school PTAs in the district and has taught religion classes at Christ the King in Commack.

ISSUES: Mancuso said, "Taxpayers cannot afford to be solely responsible for funding a quality education." She said she hopes to reduce mandates and secure funding from government agencies. She also said she wants to have an impact on how people communicate across the district and increase financial transparency. "I would like to create a parent network enabling parents to be better informed regarding the social issues our kids [deal] with in the community," she said. "I would like to see the financial numbers reported in more detail to the community so that they can make more informed decisions before they vote on a budget."

George Marine

BACKGROUND: Marine, 41, is a retired Nassau County correction officer who has lived in the district for 12 years. He and his wife, Christine, have two children who attend school in the district. Marine has coached a Commack youth soccer league team and basketball for the Commack Youth Organization.

ISSUES: Marine said, "As a retired correction officer, I realize I am not the average candidate, but I hope to bring a new perspective to the board." He said he hopes to bring to light the issues and views of everyday hardworking residents of the district. He also said he is most concerned with the district's financial health and said he would like to see better records kept of how taxpayer dollars are spent. "I'd like to see administrative costs cut before we look toward students and teachers for cuts," he said. Marine said he is also concerned about communication between the school board and the public and hopes to encourage more residents to participate in decisions made by the district. One of his suggestions: "I would like to see board members visit each school monthly for a firsthand review of programs."

Joseph Pennacchio BACKGROUND:Joseph Pennacchio, 55, is an educational administrator who has lived in the district for 28 years. He and his wife, Maureen, have two children, both graduates of the school district. Pennacchio received his bachelor's degree from SUNY Cortland, a master's degree from Adelphi University and an administration professional certificate from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. He has served on the board for nine years.

ISSUES: Pennacchio said the two most important issues facing his district are the financial crisis and the loss of state aid. "I have worked diligently with my fellow trustees to achieve concessions from Commack's bargaining units that will keep costs down, preserve jobs and continue to keep the students' and the community's needs as our top priority," he said. He said he has and will continue to lobby for additional funding and relief from legislators. He also said he is the "best qualified candidate to ensure an efficient transition to a new superintendent, and to maintain Commack's standards for the quality education of our children."