A new face on the Board of Education

A newcomer will be joining the East Meadow Board of Education this summer. Matthew Melnick, an attorney and parent who was elected last week, said he is looking forward to his first term.

Melnick, a 38-year-old attorney, defeated incumbent Jeffrey Rosenking, 1,581 votes to 847. Residents of the school district, comprising East Meadow and Salisbury, also approved the district’s 2016-17 budget and re-elected two board trustees who ran uncontested — Joseph Parisi and Marcee Rubinstein — in the May 17 election.

An East Meadow resident for eight years, Melnick said he can’t wait to become more involved in the community in which he and his wife, Jennifer, are raising their family. The couple have three children: Barnum Woods Elementary School kindergartner Natalya, 3-year-old Benjamin and 3-month-old Ross.

Melnick said that the fact that he has children who are and will be enrolled in the district offers him unique perspective. Because his daughter will be in Barnum Woods during his first term, he will see the impact the board’s decisions have on her, her classmates and their families.

“I have a kid who is going to see the effects of what I’m doing on the board,” he said. “For apparent reasons, I want them to be positive. I want everything I do to benefit my own children and all of the children of the district.”

Melnick said that his educational and professional background would also inform the way he approaches his role as a board trustee. He believes that his undergraduate degree in accounting will come in handy as he works with fellow trustees and administrators to craft the 2017-18 budget, and that his experience as a lawyer has taught him how to gather as much information as possible and maintain open lines of communication with all concerned parties to reach the best possible outcome.