Kings Park School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at R.J.O. Intermediate School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $77,759,349 for 2010-11, a 2.11 percent increase over the current budget of $76,152,459.

The tax levy would rise to $57,938,037 from $56,876,147, a 1.87 percent increase.

An average household assessed at $6,000 would pay $7,234 in school taxes, a 1.87 percent increase over the current figure.

The proposed budget includes a 3.25 percent contractual raise for teachers, and an additional average step increase of 3.9 percent. There is a wage freeze in place for central office administrators and some nonunion staff.

The district plans to cut 28.8 full-time teaching positions and one assistant principal. Cuts will also eliminate late buses and double sports teams at the middle school.

District website:

kpcsd.k12.ny.us

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent Neil Johnson will face challengers Liz Barrett, Walter A. Lahmann Jr., Tom Locascio and Jennifer Ryan for two seats with three-year terms. Robert Parrone is not seeking re-election.

Liz Barrett

BACKGROUND: Barrett, 41, is a 34-year Kings Park resident. A flight attendant, she and her husband Richard have three children attending district schools. Barrett graduated from Kings Park High School. Barrett is a member of the Parent-Faculty Association at both William Rogers Middle School and Parkview Elementary School. This is her first run for the school board.

ISSUES: "We need to restore pride" in the district, Barrett said. Cuts in staffing, teaching and other staff positions as well as administrative positions have taken a toll on the schools and curricula, she said. She would identify what she called the "erosion of morale" and "sense of community" and try to solve those issues, as well as exercise fiscal responsibility.

Neil Johnson

BACKGROUND: Johnson, 48, a 17-year resident of the district, has been a trustee for nine years and board president for the past three years. He and his wife, Patricia, have two children attending the district high school. He is president of Universal Photonics Inc. in Hicksville. Johnson has a bachelor's degree from Adelphi University and a master of business administration degree from Columbia University. He has coached a local youth soccer club and is active in cystic fibrosis walks.

ISSUES: Johnson said that the district must continue with cost-containment during the economic crisis. "We must continue to increase the use of technology, streamline processes and focus on curriculum development," he said. Even with budget cuts, classroom instruction should remain "a top priority," he said. "We worked hard to keep it as affordable as we can, and were able to keep the majority of programs in place."

Walter A. Lahmann Jr.

BACKGROUND: Lahmann, 68, is a retired business owner. He and his wife, Mary Ann, have two grown sons. A 14-year resident of the district, Lahmann attended the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University for two years, and he said he later started a company that supplied parts for performance and racing equipment that at its height had a $50 million budget and 600 employees. This is his first run for the school board.

ISSUES: Lahmann said students deserve a good education, but high taxes are forcing out residents and causing foreclosures. He said he sees teacher unions as too powerful and wants teachers in the district to consider a salary cutback or freeze. "I'm not against teachers. But I can see where people are really suffering," he said. If teachers accepted a cutback, fewer jobs would be lost, he said. "Why wouldn't you accept a wage freeze if it meant keeping [fellow] teachers?"

Tom Locascio

BACKGROUND: Locascio, 27, is a two-year resident of the district. He and his wife, Diane, who is a longtime resident, are expecting their first child in September. Locascio has a bachelor's degree from St. John's University. A district director for state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), Locascio is a member of the Kings Park Civic Association, Knights of Columbus and Kings Park Civic Association.

ISSUES: Locascio said he sees his interest in the school board as a natural progression of his civic work and political life. "Why not take my skills and use them to do good in my own hometown?" he said. Locascio gives the present school board credit for making tough decisions, but said he wants the administration to be thinking forward in the next few years. "Districts that have reserves were able to use them to keep the tax rate a little lower," he said. "It's great, but we have to make sure when the reserve money runs out that we aren't looking at a 10 percent tax hike."

Jennifer Ryan

BACKGROUND: Ryan, 45, is a self-employed professional organizer. A lifelong resident of the district, she and her husband, Robert, have two children, one a graduate of district schools and one attending the high school. Ryan was 2003 president of the Parent Faculty Organization at R.J.O. Intermediate when her children were in the school, also served as a Girl Scout leader and is president of the Smithtown Business and Professional Women's Network. This is her first run for school board.

ISSUES: As a business owner, Ryan said she believes in short- and long-term planning to weather economic problems. "I can offer my business expertise and balance these issues as a parent and taxpayer by addressing the underlying difficulties" in a district that is funded with a high portion of residential taxes, she said.