Vote for Corona, Katz in North Merrick district

Four candidates are vying for two seats this year on the North Merrick Board of Education — two longtime incumbents and two newcomers. Trustee Jonathan Butler and Vice President Lisa Katz are seeking new terms against their challengers, Ed Corona and Tracey Miller, respectively.

Jonathan Butler versus Ed Corona

In a difficult call, the Herald endorses Ed Corona in this race. Corona, a teacher and longtime community volunteer, is running against a veteran board member with a substantial history of involvement in the community and school.

A father of three, with one daughter in the Central High School District, Corona holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics and has taught math at North Shore High School since 1985. This, he said, would give him an edge when it comes to complex budget issues, and we would tend to agree.

He has volunteered as a coach for the PAL and CYO soccer programs, is involved in the music ministry at his church and serves as coordinator for Nassau County Track and Field for Public High Schools.

As a member of the state Public High School Athletic Committee, Corona has experience listening to all sides of complicated issues and has been involved in making decisions that have affected students statewide.

When asked why he chose this year to run, Corona said that, after a long period in which his daughter was fighting leukemia and “everything was on hold” for his family, he finally thought it was his time to give back to the community in a different way, particularly after the tremendous, multi-faceted support that his daughter received in the Central High School District.

Jonathan Butler has certainly served the community with distinction — we were impressed by his dedication to keeping the district current technologically. We also liked that he said he is committed to bringing foreign language to the district for fifth- and sixth-graders. A member of the Merrick Kiwanis, active civic association member and special-education advocate, Butler deserves nothing less than the community’s gratitude and respect.

In an endorsement interview, however, Butler came across as defensive, and seemed too concerned with his opponent’s motives for running, to the detriment of his own legitimate — and myriad — accomplishments. After 20 years on the board, he shouldn’t be so concerned about beating his opponent.

The Herald maintains tremendous respect for Butler and his achievements, but we believe that Corona is a sincere, community-minded individual who deserves a chance to serve his community, as Butler has had for the past two decades. We believe that Corona would bring an analytical, even-handed and fresh mindset to the board, and that would be a very good thing indeed.

Lisa Katz versus Tracey Miller

The Herald endorses incumbent Lisa Katz in this race.

Katz, a mother of three, has been an active voice in the opt-out movement since 2013, when she said she began to notice changes between her younger children’s educations and that of her older children, and grew concerned.

Her involvement in Long Island Opt-Out has kept her in touch with parents from across the Island through social media and public forums, and her passion for parents’ rights and developmentally appropriate curricula shines through when she speaks.

In an interview, Katz also came across as dedicated to children and the community first, with an eye ever turned to how residents’ tax dollars are being spent. She said that she is proud of her three years so far on the board. Like Butler, she, too, is interested in bringing foreign language to the North Merrick School District.

Katz’s opponent, Tracey Miller, is a teacher, lifelong Merrick resident, and self-described football and Boy Scout mom, concerned about recent education legislation coming out of Albany and Washington, D.C. She said she is worried about board transparency, but did not offer specifics.

Miller is a strong candidate, but with Katz’s proven involvement in the community and clear passion for student learning, we are confident that the seat would remain in good hands, at least for one more term, and that Katz would be more than capable of representing the community when it comes to issues of transparency, provided that she continues to listen to residents.