Friday, March 29, 2024
Residents were introduced to the five candidates vying for the two open seats on the Glen Cove City School District Board of Education during the PTA Council’s Meet the Candidates forum at Glen Cove High School on May 6. Four of the candidates — Karen Ferguson, Alexander Juarez, Lia Leone and Daniel Rios — stated why they should be elected and how they plan to help the district. Candidate David Huggins was unable to attend the forum due to a medical obligation.
Huggins and Juarez are both incumbent members of the board.
Karen Ferguson
Ferguson spoke on her lengthy history with the district, having graduated from Glen Cove High School in 1974 before teaching in the district for 23 years until her retirement in 2013. She has two granddaughters in Glen Cove schools, one in Finley Middle School and the other in Deasy Elementary School.
Daniel Rios
Rios, who has a child in Landing Elementary School and another in Finley, is running for a trustee position for the second consecutive year. Two of the most important characteristics a board member must exhibit, he said, are integrity and transparency. He said he doesn’t believe that the current board have fully displayed those qualities.
On why the bond did not pass, Rios said his main concern was that much of what was expressed in the bond was done so by people not involved in the bond committee or the Board of Education. He also said he understands that while board members cannot campaign for a bond themselves, “there [are] ways to stress the importance of passing something so important for our schools.”
Rios said that a bond to improve the infrastructure of each building is a necessity. He said community involvement would be crucial in the bond’s passage, whether it be through passing information along or holding fundraisers.
Rios said that recess should be extended and there should be a bigger emphasis on physical health and food choices. He also said the district should limit the amount of work done on electronic devices and encourage more outdoor and hands-on education.
Commonalities
Each candidate said that the district’s facilities need to be improved citing safety hazards. They all said that certain improvements need to take priority, whether or not a bond is in place.
While Leone, Rios and Ferguson said that outside funding via a bond would be required, Juarez said the district should not necessarily wait for a bond and should instead use the money it already has to focus on improvement projects.
On whether or not they would be comfortable contradicting the viewpoints of Superintendent Dr. Maria Rianna, all of the candidates said they would have no problem doing so. They also said they would greatly support more collaborative efforts between the district, the Board of Education and the Glen Cove City Council.
Residents can vote for their choice of candidate on May 21, alongside their vote for the 2019-20 school budget and the establishment of a capital reserve.
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