East Islip School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Connetquot Elementary, Ruth C. Kinney Elementary, John F. Kennedy Elementary and Timber Point Elementary.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $100,801,547 for the 2010-11 school year, an increase of 1.64 percent over the current $99,171,897 budget. The local tax levy would rise from $58,604,060 to $60,160,958 - a 2.66 percent increase.

The average house assessed at $40,000 would pay school taxes of $6,598 - an estimated increase of 2.64 percent over the current figure.

The budget calls for cuts in elementary and secondary co-curricular programs and one team per sport in the middle school. Eight teaching positions would be eliminated, as well as an undecided number of information technology staff. The district currently has four such positions.

District website:

eischools. org

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent Ken Cronin is running against Philip Montuori Sr. for a seat with a three-year term.

Ken Cronin

BACKGROUND: Cronin, 53, a retired Nassau County police officer, has lived in the district for 17 years. He and his wife, Kim, have three children, all of whom have attended East Islip schools. Two are in college and one attends the middle school. He is currently completing his first term on the board.

ISSUES: Cronin said the biggest challenge facing the district is finding ways to save money while preserving educational programming. "I'd like to keep working with the whole community . . . to provide the best education for the children, keep the costs down and take into account members of the community that are on fixed incomes," he said. Cronin said he was proud that the board had reined in tax increases while bringing back programs - including high school business classes and sports teams - lost under an austerity budget adopted in 2005.

Philip Montuori Sr.

BACKGROUND: Montuori, 62, a retired police officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has lived in the district his entire life. A graduate of East Islip High School, he holds an associate degree in administration from Suffolk County Community College and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Dowling College. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years during the Vietnam War as a hospital corpsman. He and his wife, Donna, have two children. They both attended East Islip schools.

ISSUES: Montuori proposes to cut costs by combining the district with a neighboring one such as Islip. "It would be a very hard task, but I'm running to interject new ideas," he said. "That's what we need." Saying he would try to lower taxes while keeping educational programs intact, he suggested exploring the possibility of obtaining federal grants to open charter schools.