Malverne school board incumbent and candidate, Danielle Hopkins

Danielle Hopkins, a Malverne school board trustee for 12 years, is running unopposed to retain her board position.

Why are you running?
I love being on the board. I feel like I’m a spokesperson for the kids. As a taxpayer also — I’ve lived in Lakeview all my life — we have to monitor taxes and we have to be responsible for the residents. I love this job. It keeps me going.

What accomplishments have you been most proud of over the past 12 years?
To see this district change from where we were at in 2005; to see more kids graduating — and with Regents diplomas. Malverne has come a long way. It’s like a parent watching a baby grow. From where I started to now, we have done amazing things. Anytime I’m driving home at nighttime and I see Malverne kids out there playing sports on the fields, it just makes me smile. Seeing our academics grow, more AP classes than we had then when we started — we didn’t have that many classes. Just going to the track and the facilities — we have grown in our infrastructure and our technology. We have come a long way and I’m so glad to be a part of it. It’s a passion. I love it. They’re all my kids. Every time I see them performing, they just amaze me.

What do you look forward to accomplishing over the next four years?
To watch our new STEM program grow. We have so many things going on — there’s a lot. The board as whole gets along together, and we do what’s possible for the education of the kids while keeping under the tax cap. We make sure we educate them without any problems. I look forward to doing everything we can to keep raising the bar of the school district.