Merrick School Voters Guide 2010

THE VOTING

7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Levy Lakeside School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a 2010-11 school budget of $40,984,600, a 3.37 percent increase over the current $39,648,536 budget. The school tax levy would increase by 5.34 percent, to $33,448,452 from the current $31,753,578.

The school tax paid on the average single-family house assessed at $1,275 would increase 5.91 percent, to $4,889 from $4,616.

The proposed school budget includes actual increases in teacher salaries of 3.5 percent plus step increases. There would be no cuts in programs, teachers or staff.

District website:

merrick-k6.org

THE CANDIDATES

Maria DiCarlo and incumbents Gina Piskin and Joann Seibert are running for two seats. Terms are three years.

Maria DiCarlo

BACKGROUND: DiCarlo, 58, has lived in the district for 30 years and is making her first run for the school board. DiCarlo was an executive secretary for 20 years in the district, retiring in 2008. She currently works as a merchandising specialist at a Glen Cove clothing store. DiCarlo and her husband, Tony, have two grown children who graduated from district public schools. DiCarlo studied executive secretarial training at the Taylor Business Institute in Hempstead. She was the Merrick school district clerk pro-tem during the 1990-91 school year.

ISSUES: DiCarlo said, as a former employee of the district, "I have a unique experience to bring to the table as a new board member. . . . I know the functions of the budget process. I have a lot of knowledge of the running of the schools." DiCarlo said there are two "main reasons" she is running for the school board: "I consider my hometown to be Merrick, [and] it's time to all stand up and face the reality of trying to save the quality of our suburban lifestyle."

Gina Piskin

BACKGROUND: Piskin, 46, works part-time for her family's office equipment business in Brooklyn. Piskin has lived in the district for 18 years and was elected to the school board three years ago. Piskin has a bachelor of arts in history from Adelphi University. She and her husband, Ray, have three children, one of whom is a district graduate. Two are currently in district schools. She has been a member of the Norman J. Levy Lakeside School PTA since 1995 and served as PTA president in the mid-2000s. She has served on the PTA executive board at Lakeside since 2001.

ISSUES: Piskin said, "I have been part of the budget process at least since 2003, when I was PTA president . . . I sat through the line-by-line budget process each year since then, even before I was a school board member. I think it's really important to understand what's going on and what the budget involves." Piskin added that, "I understand the importance of the elementary level because my children have had their foundation here."

Joann Seibert

BACKGROUND: Seibert, 51, is a full-time math professor at Nassau Community College who has lived in the district for 17 years. Seibert has a bachelor of business administration in finance from Hofstra University, a master of business administration in finance from Adelphi University, and a master of science degree in education from Hofstra. She was elected to the school board in 2005 to complete the remaining two years of the three-year term of a board member who died. She was re-elected to a full term in 2007. She and her husband, Richard, have three children, two of whom graduated from district schools, and one of whom is a current district student.

ISSUES: Seibert said, "I think that we have some pretty challenging times ahead of us [because] school districts are experiencing a reduction in state aid, and yet we need to continue to provide a good education for our children." Seibert said she is an "informed, experienced board member, who has been involved in the community since 1998." She added, "Most school districts are losing staff and cutting programs, and our school district is preserving our staff members and programs."