West Islip School Voters Guide 2010

VOTING

10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at West Islip High School.

THE BUDGET

The district is proposing a budget of $104,104,887, up 2.87 percent over this year's $101,200,325. The tax levy would rise 6.91 percent from $63,063,221 to $67,423,158.

The owner of the average home in the district, assessed at $45,000, would pay 6.91 percent more in school taxes - $7,020.77, up from $6,566.76.

The budget would eliminate 16 teaching positions and three clerical jobs. But no significant programs or services would be eliminated.

District website: wi.k12.ny.us

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent George Smith is unopposed for a three-year term. Incumbent Eliot F. Bloom is opposed by challengers Scott Brady and Glenn Sloat, and incumbent Annmarie LaRosa faces Robert Maresca. Both seats have three-year terms.

Eliot F. Bloom

BACKGROUND: Bloom, 52, was first elected to the board three years ago. The 17-year district resident is an attorney with a law degree from Touro Law Center and an undergraduate degree from the University at Albany. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children who graduated from West Islip High School. He has served on the board of the West Islip Independent Club.

ISSUES: "The district needs to get back to basics - maintain our present level of teachers and find alternative ways to decrease expenditures so that our children are our focus," Bloom said. "Back to basics means the concept of a teacher and a student in a classroom - the way it was years ago without expensive administrative costs that can overwhelm school budgets."

Scott Brady

BACKGROUND: Brady, 45, a lifelong district resident, is making his first run for the board. The retired New York City Police Department sergeant is an auto insurance adjuster. He and his wife, Crista, have four children, two of whom have graduated from West Islip High School and two who are still attending district schools. He is a graduate of St. Joseph College.

ISSUES: "The most important issue is to keep taxes affordable," Brady said. "The majority of families in West Islip are paying over $6,000 a year just in school taxes, and they simply cannot pay anymore." He said the property tax system needs to be recalculated. "As a board we need first to work with surrounding districts with similar situations and rally the Town of Islip to revamp the homestead tax system. We need community support to back the board to fight for our fair share of education dollars from New York State."

Annmarie LaRosa

BACKGROUND: LaRosa, 42, is a 20-year district resident who is completing her first term on the board and is currently vice president. She is a teacher and director of the South Shore Children's Center. She and her husband, Salvatore LaRosa Jr., have two children who attend district schools. LaRosa has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from SUNY Old Westbury and a master's degree from Stony Brook University.

ISSUES: "The most important issue is the balance that must be maintained between the fiscal constraints we are subjected to and the progressive educational needs of the students," LaRosa said. She said she wants to continue working to find creative solutions by being an active member of the budget team and Education Committee. She said with the board's Legislative Action Committee, "I will continue to advocate for the needs of the district, including New York State's responsibility to provide us with fair aid formulas and the review of unfunded mandates."

Robert Maresca

BACKGROUND: Maresca, 42, is making his first run for the board. A 30-year resident of the district, he is an iron worker. He and his wife, Diane, have three children, the oldest of whom attends a district elementary School. Maresca attended Suffolk County Community College.

ISSUES: School taxes are the biggest issue, Maresca said. He said he would have the board post all consulting contracts online before they are approved. He would also post all employee salaries. He said he would push for hiring a district grant writer to make sure the district is getting all funds available. Maresca said he would "challenge all programs I feel cost a lot of money and go beyond the public school mandate to deliver a sound basic education. One current example of this is the international college prep course."

Glenn Sloat

BACKGROUND: Sloat, 42, who has lived in the district for a dozen years, is making his first campaign for the school board. He is a director of operational risk for a Manhattan investment management firm. He and his wife, Cindy, have one child who attends a district elementary school. He has a bachelor's degree from the University at Albany in finance and marketing and an MBA in finance and international business from New York University.

ISSUES: Sloat said, "The most important issue facing West Islip is providing a quality education for our children without further burdening the taxpayers of our community. I will use my interpersonal skills to work collaboratively and constructively with parents, teachers, administrators and my fellow board members to ensure that we form a united entity working toward a common goal. I will also use the skills I have developed during a successful 20-year career in business to see that we spend our money wisely yet effectively."