Board of Education candidates vie for 7 open seats in Valley Stream

District 13

Frank Chiachiere - Incumbent

Age: 72
Family: Married to Rita, 70. Two children, Frank, 38, and Ryan, 36.
Residency: 38-year resident

If re-elected, what would be your priority in your next term?

It is and always has been my mission to drive teaching and learning in District 13 so that children can lead happy and productive lives. My commitment to that end has been recognized by the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association when I was named Distinguished School Board Member of the Year for the work I do on behalf of District 13’s children. Children are more than a number. The work I have done at the state level will continue to affect what children are taught and how they will be assessed on what they are taught. My guiding force has and will always be: Every child, every day.

Deborah Kalb - Running for Frank Chiachiere’s seat

Age: 52
Family: Married to Robert. Three children, Mary, Kate and Jack.
Residency: 13-year resident
Career: Fire alarm dispatcher
Activities: James A. Dever executive board member for 12 years, District 13 Budget Ambassador, Interschool Council of PTA’s President, SEPTA Executive Board Membership Chairperson for three years, North High School PTSA Grade Liaison for five years, Member of Faculty Appreciation, PreProm, Bingo Committee, James A. Dever School Shared Decision Making Committee, New York State PTA Honorary Life Member.

If elected, what would you hope to bring to the Board of Education?

My goal, if elected, would be to bring about better communication between the district and the community. The superintendent and school district hold a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpaying community, who require transparency regarding all district issues. It is especially relevant now, when the Green Acres Mall PILOT, among other financial concerns, is a priority for our families. I believe that the school board must be responsive and receptive to parents, staff and students as well as the community at large. A more effective procedure needs to be developed to ensure that needs, concerns and questions are adequately addressed. Many existing issues and concerns, such as the common core curriculum, bond spending, special education modifications and building conditions will have a better chance at resolution if the communication issues are appropriately addressed.

Patricia Farrell - Incumbent

Age: 54
Family: Married to Peter, 54. Two children, Daniel, 21, and Christopher, 18.
Residency: 18-year resident
Career: Assistant branch manager of Roslyn Savings Bank
Time on board: 3 years
Activities: Vice President, Central-Memorial PTSA, Treasurer District 13 Educational Foundation, Inc., Member of Holy Name of Mary Bakers Bunch

If re-elected what would be your priority in your next term?

As the district brings our buildings into the 21st century my priority would be to bring more technology into our children’s education with more STEM/STEAM initiatives. STEM/STEAM fields will continue to increase prominence in our future and by exposing students early this will only intrigue them and give them an advantage. Our children deserve to be prepared for the next step in their educational experience.

Atif Sajjad - Running for Patricia Farrell’s seat

Age: 43
Family: Married to Fareen Malik, 38. Three children, Hadi, 9, Noor, 8, and Anum, 4.
Residency: 20-year resident
Career: Business owner

If elected, what would you hope to bring to the Board of Education?

The technological changes that are happening in our society are happening at a break-neck speed, but our schools have had a hard time keeping up. We need to provide our youth the tools they will need in the workplace of tomorrow. If elected, I would push for upgrading the classroom technology and provide the teachers with training to utilize these technologies. I would advocate better and robust communications between the teachers and parents so they can be on the same page. Also, I would look into introducing some form of training in coding and mobile app development.

Sean Douglas - Running unopposed

Age: 46
Family: Married to Carol, 45. Two children, Sean, 23, and Alexander, 14.
Residency: 15-year resident
Career: School social worker at Uniondale Public Schools and associate adjunct professor at Long Island University
Time on board: 7 years
Activities: Served as president, vice president and trustee on the District 13 school board. Served on the PTA legislative committee, school-based management team and PTA at Howell Road and North High schools. Coached for the Valley Stream PAL and Valley Stream Little League.

If re-elected what would be your priority in your next term?

If I am re-elected I will continue to work to ensure that all of our students in District 13 receive a comprehensive and rich education. John Dewey once stated that “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.” From that premise, I want the educational experiences for our students to be academically challenging, socially relevant and cognitively stimulating so that they would be able to compete in a global society. In addition, I am very concerned about the impending privatization of our public schools and will work collaboratively with our local officials to ensure that our public funds are not used to finance private education.

District 24

Armando Hernandez - Running unopposed

Age: 46
Family: Married to Saundra, 47. Three children, Joseph, 20, Nicholas, 16, and Michael, 11.
Residency: 17-year resident
Career: Vice President and head of business development of Lombard Risk Systems
Time on board: 3 years
Activities: Youth baseball coach since 2001 with Lynbrook Little League, youth baseball coach with Valley Stream Baseball League and Valley Stream Hawks since 2010. Served as the Vice President for the Valley Stream Baseball League. Served as the Director of the Valley Stream Hawks Youth Travel Baseball Club. Owned and operated Gym 4 Kidz in Valley Stream where we focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle for the youth of our community and beyond. Currently coaching 11- and 12-year-old travel baseball.

If re-elected what would be your priority in your next term?

If re-elected, one of my priorities is to continue lobbying our state legislators and advocating on behalf of the students of District 24 for more funding. My annual trips to Albany, with other trustees, for scheduled legislative appointments has been a great way to have our messages heard. I would also look to lead an effort to engage the public to increase our district’s civic participation. Like many other districts in the nation, our district suffers from particularly low voter turnout. Additionally, I look forward to an opportunity to contribute as a trustee at our Central High School District.

Lisa Pellicane - Running unopposed

Age: 41
Family: Married to Brian, 44. Two children, Alyssa, 18, and Breana, 16.
Residency: 41-year resident
Career: Office Coordinator for South Nassau Cardiology Group
Time on board: 6 years
Activities: I was extremely active on the PTA board, including being president when my children were in elementary school. I currently serve on the board for Valley Stream South Parents Club.

If re-elected what would be your priority in your next term?

If re-elected I will continue to help provide the best education for our District 24 children can receive, while keeping our tax increase to a minimum.

Paul DePace - Running unopposed

Age: Declined to provide
Family: Married to Barbara. Four children.
Residency: 47-year resident
Career: Retired
Time on board: 36 years
Activities: Senior Classic Bowling League, UFT Chapter Leader for P.S. 2211, Board of Education for 36 years, served as president and all committees.

If re-elected what would be your priority in your next term?

May need bond to be able to have enough money to update buildings and construct new facilities. Running an effective school system under the two-percent tax cap. Work with our local legislators to obtain more funds and school aid from state. Try to obtain grants and get relief from New York State mandates.

District 30

Cristobal Stewart - Incumbent

Age: 49
Family: Married. Three children.
Residency: 18-year resident
Career: Assistant Dean of a New York City-based Art and Design college
Time on board: 9 years
Activities: My school board service is my non-work volunteer activity.

If re-elected what would be your priority in your next term?

My highest priority will be returning the Green Acres Mall and Green Acres Commons properties to the county’s tax rolls. By doing so, we will restore the taxes Green Acres pays to District 30, and, by extension, the high school district, and eliminate the tax burden the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency unfairly placed on Valley Stream taxpayers. Now that the PILOT has been revoked, Green Acres must be forced to pay its fair share to support public education in Valley Stream.

Matthew Khan - Running for Cristobal Stewart’s seat

Age: 34
Family: No children.
Residency: 20-year resident
Career: Valley Stream Department of Public Works

If elected what would you hope to bring to the Board of Education?

As Valley Stream District 30 is continuously diversifying, it is important for residents to understand the great work being done in our district. Each Valley Stream resident has an investment in our school system whether or not they have children who attend school. The countless hours invested by our families, students, and teachers are a testament to our district. We must strengthen communication while our community rapidly evolves. Leveraging social media, more mailings, and meeting directly with groups are essential. As residents become more informed we can expect to see higher levels of participation. Greater resident involvement in our district is needed to get the best bang for our buck.

Editor's note: Hendrick Colbert, who was running for Cristobal Stewart’s seat in District 30, emailed the Herald on May 8 to announce that he had withdrawn his candidacy “for personal reasons.” Since the ballots have already been printed, his name will still be listed.

This story was updated on May 16 at 2:08 p.m. to reflect a trustee's correct age.