Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The 2025 annual school budget vote and election of Elmont Board of Education and Elmont Memorial Library trustees will take place on May 20. In order to participate, residents must be registered to vote. Those who have not registered yet can do so at their designated school on any school day, during school hours, until May 12. Evening voter registration will also be available on May 12, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Elmont Road School, at 135 Elmont Road.
On May 20, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in all schools. Residents can vote for the Elmont and Sewanhaka school district budgets, the library budget, and school board and library trustees. Go to ElmontSchools.org or SewanhakaSchools.org for more information about voter registration qualifications and poll place locators.
The following candidates are running for the Elmont Board of Education.
Candidates for Tameka Battle-Burkett’s seat
Tameka Battle-Burkett is not running for re-election.
Moshiur Rahman Khondokar
Khondokar, an Elmont resident for eight years, said his main priority for the Board of Education is helping students in the district achieve academic excellence through technology-centric initiatives. With 15 years of professional experience in the information technology industry, and as a teacher of IT at Queens College, Khondokar said that one of his goals is to help the Elmont school district navigate the evolving field of artificial intelligence. If elected, he would focus on improving the schools’ curriculum by adding courses in programming and coding, to better prepare students to be the next generation of workers.
Khondokar says he plans to be a voice for the parents and the community, fostering open communication, transparency and accountability in the district.
Shirley Wheeler-Massey
Wheeler-Massey has been a resident of North Valley Stream, part of which is within the Elmont school district, for 20 years. She said she has been a lifelong advocate of education, and has dedicated her 33-year career working as a teacher, principal and eventually an assistant superintendent to building school communities in which children can thrive academically, socially and emotionally. Wheeler-Massey serves as a parent representative on several Elmont district committees, and has helped bring arts programs to the district, including ballroom dancing.
She has also advocated for the district’s bond committee to ensure that funds awarded to the school are spent on what they are intended for. She has spoken out against racism in school sports, vows to protect and empower students impacted by discrimination, and hopes to be a voice for the community on these concerns.
Candidates for Michael Jaime’s seat
Michael Jaime is not running for re-election.
Jocelin Narciso Molina
Molina is a lifelong resident of Elmont, graduated from Elmont Memorial High School in 2013, and currently serves on the Gotham Avenue School PTA. She is a care management manager at Mindful Care, a mental health care company in West Hempstead, which she says contributes to her policy-driven approach to education. As a former student in the school district, Molina said, she plans to use her experience and knowledge of the district to inform her decisions on the school board.
According to Molina, there is a significant language barrier in the district that impacts some children’s access to quality education. She plans to make the schools more equitable for all students and parents by bridging that gap with new policies and initiatives.
Zahid Khan
Khan has been a resident of Valley Stream for nine years, and an engineer for 13 years. Because of his background in the utility industry, he plans to implement data-driven approaches to the board’s current strategies in district-wide processes, such as the school budget. In addition, he said, he plans to emphasize science, technology, engineering and math curriculums across the district and align them with global standards. Khan said that students deserve a better education, and need to be better prepared for the future in order to compete with their peers in other countries.
He said he would establish open communication with residents and parents in the community to ensure transparency, because residents deserve to know how their tax dollars are spent.
Monique Hardial
Hardial has lived in Elmont for 35 years, and has served on the library board for the past 15 years. One of her concerns, she said, is the recent cuts to the U.S. Department of Education by the Trump administration, which she believes will negatively impact special education and diversity in the district. Hardial has been president of the Dutch Broadway School PTA for two years, and a member of the executive board for six years.
She plans to use her experience to fight for the preservation of current district curriculums, and for equipping students with new skills through a robotics program and science, technology, engineering and math courses. Her main goal is to ensure that there is enough funding to support all students in the district, regardless of their needs.
Nolan Alexandre-Baker
Alexandre-Baker is a lifelong Elmont resident who attended Dutch Broadway School and graduated from Elmont Memorial High in 2019. As a former student who fondly remembers the time and effort the district contributed to his education, Alexandre-Baker said his main goal for the board is to ensure that students have every resource they need to excel in school and beyond.
One of his main focuses, he said, is to create new after-school programs to encourage students to stay off their phones and learn to participate in community activities that build essential life skills. He added that bringing back more summer programs and extracurricular activities are a major part of his platform, because he believes those programs had a major impact on his education and would give future students the same opportunity.
Candidates for Trecia Wong’s seat
Trecia Wong, incumbent
Wong has been a resident of Elmont for over 40 years, and was elected to the Board of Education last year after winning a special election against incumbent Tania Lawes, who was originally appointed to replace Michael Cantara, after his resignation from the board in December 2023. Since then, Wong said, she helped modernize district operations, including hiring procedures, staff evaluation and audit processes, which promote transparency.
Wong has been an educator and school administrator for 27 years and said she values open communication and collaboration with the community. She plans to continue this policy if elected to a full term. She said she comes from a diverse background in the school system, and her entire life is dedicated to education. That is why, she said, she isn’t afraid to speak up when she thinks something isn’t right for the community and will continue to fight for students who come from diverse backgrounds.
Stephanie Douglas
Douglas is a lifelong resident of Elmont, having graduated from Gotham Avenue School in 2004 and Elmont Memorial High in 2010. She is currently the principal of Academy Charter School, in Uniondale. Douglas said that Elmont shaped her into the leader she is today, and her goal is to use her experience teaching in Africa and South America to help Elmont students become global citizens.
Douglas is currently working on a doctorate in educational leadership and innovation at New York University, which she said proves her dedication to education. Rather than replacing the daily operations and decisions of the superintendent and school leaders, her goal is to empower the Board of Education to continue the work it does by protecting policies that are working for the district and challenging what is not.
Husna Babar
Babar lived in Elmont from 2008 to 2012, and moved back in 2021. As an educator with a degree in psychology and a concentration in child development, Babar said, she has gained six years of experience in the New York City Department of Education working with students from pre-K to 12th grade. As a former student in the Elmont School District, she said she now wants to give back to the community and the school district that supported her education.
Babar said she is committed to putting students first, enhancing academic achievement and ensuring that every child—especially those with special needs — receives the support they deserve. She plans to advocate for expanded paraprofessional staffing and professional development, increased mental health services and enrichment beyond the classroom.
