Islip School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Islip High School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $66,368,105 for the 2010-11 school year, an increase of 2.11 percent over the current $64,998,491 budget. The local tax levy would rise from $43,851,982 to $45,554,768 - a 3.88 percent increase.

A house with an average assessment at $45,000 would pay school taxes of $7,196 - an estimated increase of 3.88 percent over the current figure.

The proposed budget includes no programming cuts. Staffing levels have not been finalized.

District website: islipufsd.org

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent Catherine M. Romano is running against Liz Mayott for one seat. Incumbent Nelson Couvertier is running against Lee Anderson and David Twomey for a second seat. Romano and Couvertier are running as a team. Both seats have three-year terms.

Lee Anderson

BACKGROUND: Anderson, 61, the retired owner of an inn in Islip, has lived in the district his entire life. He is a graduate of Islip High School. He and his wife, Bridget, have three children, all of whom have attended Islip schools. His youngest daughter presently attends the middle school.

ISSUES: Anderson said taxpayers need a representative on the board with a background in business, "to help the district be more efficient in its financial obligations."

"Laying off teachers is not an appropriate solution," he said, arguing that money should be trimmed from nonacademic departments, such as athletics, to preserve teachers' jobs. He said he would look for ways to trim administrative costs in areas including insurance and security.

Nelson Couvertier

BACKGROUND: Couvertier, 49, is vice president of a company that sells electronic trading software. He has a bachelor of science degree in e-commerce business from the University of Phoenix and a master's in business administration from Norwich University. He has lived in the district for 16 years. He and his wife, Renee, have four children, all of whom have attended Islip schools. Their two youngest currently attend the middle school. He has served on the board since 2004 and has been vice president since 2005.

ISSUES: Couvertier said he helped the district four years ago adopt a long-term planning framework called "This We Believe," which articulates the district's guiding principles and allows the district to make decisions based on data ranging from student test scores to resident surveys. He said he would continue to use this framework to achieve the district's goal of providing a quality education in a changing global economy, while minimizing stress on the community. In his time on the board, he said he and his running mate have focused on fiscal responsibility, transparency and student achievement.

Liz Mayott

BACKGROUND: Mayott, 52, is owner of an Islip-based company offering electrician services. She has lived in the district for 26 years. She has attended Bronx Community College and Drake Business School. She and her husband, Jim, have one child who is a graduate of district schools. Mayott has served as treasurer of the Commack Road Elementary School PTA, vice president of the Islip Middle School PTA and treasurer of the Islip PTA Council. She has served on the board of the Islip Chamber of Commerce since 2001.

ISSUES: Mayott said that in this difficult economic climate "both our children and our taxpayers need stronger advocacy." She said she would make decisions "based on what is best for our children, at an affordable price for our taxpayers." She said she would seek additional funding from Albany and Washington. Citing her experience as a business owner and civic leader, she said: "I have developed a skill set that I believe will enable me to work with the best interests of our children in our community in mind."

Catherine M. Romano

BACKGROUND: Romano, 51, is a homemaker and co-director of a nursery school. She holds a bachelor of science from St. John's University and a master's in education from Dowling College. She has lived in the district for 25 years. She and her husband, Richard, have a daughter who graduated from district schools. Romano was elected to the board in 2004 and has served as its president since 2005.

ISSUES: "We need to move education forward, but we have the constraint of dwindling funding from both the state and federal level," Romano said. "What is essential [for students to learn] now is not even what was essential 10 years ago," she said. "That means addressing the way we deliver education. That's a tough message in a tough economy." She said the board's biggest challenge this year will be negotiating new contracts with faculty, administrative and support staff. "We returned the district back to stability after being on contingency," she said. "We've become extremely transparent."

David Twomey

BACKGROUND: Twomey, 52, is a narcotics and vice undercover detective for a Long Island law enforcement agency, currently assigned to a heroin task force. He holds an associate degree from LaGuardia Community College. He has lived in the district for 21 years. He and his wife, Josephine, have three children, all of whom have attended Islip schools. Their youngest is a senior at the high school.

ISSUES: Twomey said his goal as a school board member would be "to give your children the best education they can receive."

"It's time to get administrators and educators on the same page to work together for the children's benefit," he said. "They're not on the same page. The educators feel like they're being left out. Security also feels this way. That's why people asked me to run." Twomey said the district should look for alternatives to laying off teachers and teacher aides.