Remsenburg-Speonk School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $11,837,386 for the 2010-11 school year, an increase of 2.22 percent over the current budget of $11,580,218. The tax levy would rise to $10,735,450, an increase of 3.52 percent over the current figure of $10,370,789.

The average homeowner with a house assessed at $972,305 would pay $4,521.22 in school taxes, an increase of 2.88 percent over the current figure of $4,394.82.

The proposed budget also includes a 7.35 percent increase in teacher salaries and the reduction of teaching staff and teaching assistant staff by 3 and 1 full-time equivalents, respectively. No significant programs or services are being added or cut.

In addition to the proposed budget, there is a proposition on the ballot for the district to contract with Westhampton Beach and Eastport-South Manor school districts to act as the receiving districts for Remsenburg-Speonk students in grades 7-12. A second proposition would authorize the district to spend up to $225,354 to contract with Suffolk Cooperation Library System for a one-year period.

District website:

rsufsd.wordpress.com

THE CANDIDATES

John Kern and incumbents Lisa A. Fox and Joel C. Petersen are running for two seats with three-year terms.

Lisa A. Fox

BACKGROUND: Fox, 46, said she is self-employed. She has lived in the district since 1998. She and her husband, David, have three children - one attends the district school; two others attended the district school and are now in high school and college. Fox has taken courses in elementary education at SUNY Oneonta.

ISSUES: Fox, who is the board's current vice president, said that one of the most important issues facing the district is "rebuilding communication within the school community." She also said that moving forward with improvements to the elementary school is "paramount" to students and the school community.

John Kern

BACKGROUND: Kern, 43, has lived in the district for nearly eight years. He is an attorney with a private practice in Southampton and has a bachelor of arts in Spanish from St. Lawrence University and a law degree from St. John's University. He and his wife, Pamela, have two children enrolled in the district.

ISSUES: Kern said that one of the district's biggest issues is expansion. "Recent voting proves that this community does not want to spend millions of dollars to expand the school," he said. "My position is renovation, not expansion. As a member of the board, I will ensure that we do a full inventory of how each classroom is being used and when." Kern said he also plans to increase transparency by ensuring that all student concerns and economic-related issues are "immediately brought to the attention of the community."

Joel C. Petersen

BACKGROUND: Petersen, 57, has served on the school board for 18 years and has negotiated the past four teacher contracts. He has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Dowling College and is also a founding member of the special-education PTA for Eastern Suffolk BOCES. He has three children who attended school in the district.

ISSUES: Petersen said the economy has made the Board of Education's job very difficult. "Cuts to programs must be made with careful consideration to lessen any negative effect on the quality of their learning experience," he said. "Our board recognizes the community's call for efficient budgeting and has prepared a bare bones spending plan for the coming year." In addition, Petersen said the board is moving forward with full transparency with regard to building improvement plans. "We know we need the approval of all factions of our community for an improvement plan to pass."