Port Jefferson School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a $37,724,644 budget for the 2010-11 school year, a 1.53 percent increase over the current budget of $37,155,441. The proposed tax levy would rise from $28,907,099 to $29,909,021, a 3.47 percent increase.

The average home is assessed at $4,730. The average single-family house would pay school taxes of $5,773.74, an estimated increase of 3.99 percent over the current $5,552.43.

The proposed budget also includes an actual increase of 3.5 percent in teacher salaries and an estimated 2.75 percent step increase. The 2010-11 budget calls for staff reductions of 4.5 teachers and 1.5 nonteaching positions.

District website:

portjeff.k12.ny.us

THE CANDIDATES

Lisa Alter, Kathleen Brennan, Dennis Kahn and Isak Prohovnik are running for two at-large seats with three-year terms. Marybeth Collins and Stacey Stoddart-Zinc are not seeking re-election.

Lisa Alter

BACKGROUND: Alter, 44, has lived in the district for 18 years and is coordinator of central registration-administrative assistant in the Rocky Point School District. Her four children attend the district elementary school. Alter has an undergraduate degree from St. Joseph's College in Patchogue and a master's degree from Stony Brook University. She has worked as a second-grade teacher and an elementary school principal in the Rocky Point School District. Alter received the 1994 Jenkins Memorial Service Award from the Rocky Point PTA. As an elementary school principal, Alter began a schoolwide program to recognize students for outstanding achievements.

ISSUES: Alter said the most important issue facing the district is to ensure students receive an education that prepares them for the 21st century. She said parents and teachers should be involved in researching and planning new programs and cited her experience as a teacher and school principal as strong qualifications for a Board of Education post. "I am running for the BOE so that I can make a difference for my children," Alter said. "I believe my educational background and experiences will enable me to make informed decisions."

Kathleen Brennan

BACKGROUND: Brennan, 59, retired from the Longwood School District where she worked as director of elementary education, principal and teacher. She has lived in the Port Jefferson district for 32 years. Brennan and her husband, Dennis, have two sons who graduated from the district. She has a degree in elementary education from Marywood College in Scranton, Pa., and two master's degrees, one in counseling and one in reading, as well as a professional diploma in educational administration - all from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.

ISSUES: Brennan said one of the most important issues facing the school district is a lack of community confidence in district hiring practices. She cited concern about spending priorities and academic programs. Brennan said the district needs to address the prospect of payments from LIPA to the district being greatly reduced or eliminated in the future. She said if elected, she will encourage more community participation in the school district. "One of the reasons I'm running is the lack of opportunities for community input into district decisions," Brennan said, noting the district once had a budget committee that involved community members.

Dennis Kahn

BACKGROUND: Kahn, 58, a dentist who practices in Mount Sinai, has lived in the district for 22 years. He and his wife, Lauri, have a daughter and two sons - all graduated from the district. Kahn previously served on the Board of Education from 2001 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2008. In 2007 and 2008, he was president of the board and was vice president in 2006. Kahn is president of the Infant Jesus Parish basketball program in Port Jefferson. He earned his dental degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

ISSUES: Kahn expressed concern about a possible future decrease in LIPA payments that help support the district. To preserve the viability of the school district, unnecessary spending must be reduced and the budget must reflect the financial climate, Kahn said. He also said the district must not purchase the latest technology simply to have something new. "Line item by line item, we must go through our budget to reduce frivolous spending, and ensure staff, teachers and administrators take on more responsibility to make the children successful," Kahn said.

Isak Prohovnik

BACKGROUND: Prohovnik, 60, has lived in the district for five years and is a psychiatry and radiology professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. He earned an undergraduate degree in physiology from Tel Aviv University in Israel and master's and doctorate degrees in neuropsychology from Lund University in Sweden. He and his wife, Lauren, have two daughters - one a student at the district high school and the other a recent college graduate. He has served as a longtime judge for Long Island entries for the nationwide Intel science competition and, for three years, has mentored a Port Jefferson Middle School team that competes in the Science Olympiad.

ISSUES: Prohovnik said he is concerned about shrinking financial resources in the district even as there is a demand for high-quality education, especially in the sciences. He said the district needs to maximize its budgetary efficiency by doing cost/benefit analyses, using performance criteria and prioritizing items in the budget. "The process can also be improved by increasing community and teacher input," Prohovnik said.