Rocky Point School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Rocky Point High School gym.

THE BUDGETThe district is proposing a budget of $66,855,418 for 2010-11, an increase of 0.14 percent over the 2009-10 budget of $66,764,945. The 2010-11 proposed tax levy is $41,299,753, a 2.81 percent increase over last year's levy of $40,170,361.

District officials said they could not provide a figure for school taxes paid on the average house because it lacked assessment figures to be provided by the Town of Brookhaven.

The proposed budget includes a contractual pay increase of 2 percent for teachers, plus an unspecified amount for step increases.

The budget proposal also allows for the reinstatement of second middle-school sports teams, which had been cut last year.

District website:

rockypointschools.org

THE CANDIDATESAllen Bernhard, Kathleen Heggers and Christopher Pinkenburg are running for one seat with a three-year term. Edward Darcey is not seeking re-election.

Allen BernhardBACKGROUND: A self-employed professional civil engineer who works in environmental coastal management and construction management, Bernhard is making his first run for school board. Bernhard, 41, and his wife, Mary, have six children attending schools in the district. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in civil engineering from the University of Buffalo. He has lived 14 years in the district.

ISSUES: Maintaining a quality education is paramount for Bernhard. "I believe it's the board members' due to find the most effective way of using our limited tax dollars," Bernhard said. As a local business owner, Bernhard said he understands the need to be accessible to the community, saying that taking the public's concerns to the board will be his "highest priority."

Kathleen HeggersBACKGROUND:A homemaker who formerly managed billing accounts for a communications company, Heggers, 39, has lived in the district 10 years. She attended Johnson and Wales University. She and her husband, John, have two children who attend district schools. This is her first run for school board.

ISSUES: As a Parent-Teacher Association volunteer, Heggers said she understands accomplishing more with less. Eliminating wasteful spending is essential because less money is coming from the state and district residents can't afford higher taxes. Experience as a fundraiser with the Long Island Sound Sharks PAL Football and Cheerleading will come in handy, she said. "I raised over $60,000 with the help of parents and local businesses," Heggers said. "I'll do more for our kids with less from our taxpayers."

Christopher PinkenburgBACKGROUND: A physicist at Brookhaven National Lab, Pinkenburg, 47, has been a resident of the district for a decade and is making his first run for office. He earned a master's degree from the University of Frankfurt, in Germany, and a doctorate from the University of Heidelberg, also in Germany. He and wife, Picarra, have three children, two of whom attend district schools and a 3-year-old.

ISSUES: Parental involvement is key to kids achieving in school, Pinkenburg said. "We need to find better ways to hear and address their input and concerns, and enhance the transparency of district policies and procedures," he said.