Port Washington School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday at Weber Middle School, Daly Elementary School, Sousa Elementary School, and Salem Elementary School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $127,093,245 for the 2010-11 school year, a 1.97 percent increase from the current budget of $124,640,568. The local tax levy will rise 1.94 percent - from the current $114,235,750 to the proposed $116,451,368.

Taxes on an average home assessed at $2,387 would increase 1.94 percent from $10,155 to an estimated $10,352, though the final number will be based on a future assessment.

The budget includes an average increase in teacher salaries of 1.75 percent, plus a 2 percent step increase.

The district plans to cut about 10 teachers, three clerical workers, two administrators and three educational assistants. The district is also eliminating summer camp.

In addition to the budget, the district is proposing a referendum to sell two vacant parcels in the village of Manorhaven - one on Ashwood Road, the other on Sands Point Road.

District website:

portnet.k12.ny.us

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbents Karen Sloan and William Hohauser and challengers Joseph Mirzoeff and Robert K. Ryan are running for three at-large seats. The two highest vote-getters will serve terms of three years, while the third will serve one year. Jean-Marie Posner is not seeking re-election.

William Hohauser

BACKGROUND: Hohauser, 51, is a 16-year resident of the district. A lawyer, Hohauser and his wife, Sharon, have two children - one in college and one who attends a district school. Hohauser served on the board this past year and is running with fellow incumbent Karen Sloan. He double-majored at Binghamton University with a bachelor of science in economics and a bachelor of arts in mathematics. He received his juris doctorate from Columbia Law School.

ISSUES: Hohauser hopes to bring fiscal responsibility to the district and assuage some of the sting felt by a community suffering from economic hardship. He wants to negotiate a new teachers' contract that will be fair to both sides. Hohauser said he was concerned with the level of transparency within the board and will insist on a more open form of government. He believes the district needs a more hands-on approach to community affairs, so he would spend hours each week responding to questions.

Joseph Mirzoeff

BACKGROUND: Mirzoeff, 58, has lived in the district for 25 years. A stock trader, he previously served on the board from 1995 to 1998. He and his wife, Dana Friedman, raised three children in the district - two who currently attend college and another who attends a district school. Mirzoeff received a master's in finance from Columbia University and a bachelor of science in mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

ISSUES: If elected, Mirzoeff hopes to re-evaluate the recent teachers' contract settlements, which gives 21 percent raises (a 10 percent step increase and an 11 percent cost of living increase) over a five-year term. He believes public employees should not get raises because the community is suffering from asset deflation, loss of income and increased unemployment, and he will shed light on what he believes to be a problem in the district. Specifically, Mirzoeff says that the salary increases bring nothing extra to the students in terms of increased teaching hours or addressing a "teacher absenteeism problem," and he hopes to solve those concerns.

Robert K. Ryan

BACKGROUND: Ryan, 59, a retired banker, has lived in the district for 37 years. A widower, he has one grown son who graduated from a Catholic school. Ryan received a bachelor's degree in U.S. government from Georgetown University and a master's in finance from St. John'sUniversity. He also has served on Georgetown's College Board of Advisors and served as board chairman at Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury.

ISSUES: Ryan said he believes that the biggest concern facing the district is balancing quality education with fiscal responsibility. If elected, he'd use his experience of serving on other boards as well as his extensive background in finance to try to provide a degree of relief for overburdened taxpayers by carefully examining every tax dollar spent. This, he said, will not come at a cost to the district's education as it "makes people better citizens and benefits all."

Karen Sloan

BACKGROUND: Sloan, 45, is a 15-year resident of the district. She is completing her first term on the board, of which she is president. She and her husband, Todd, have two children - one at college and one at a public school in the district. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated from Great Neck North High School.

ISSUES: Sloan believes that districts are crumbling under financial pressure and that they will have to learn to do more with less without compromising on high education standards. If elected, Sloan says she plans to look for creative solutions, working with the community to find new ways to cut costs with the best possible results.