New Franklin Square BOE trustees look to the future

Franklin Square’s newly elected education board trustees Domenico Ciaccio and Anna McCombs took their seats after being sworn in at the board’s reorganization meeting July 2.

Ciaccio and McCombs were elected May 21 replacing former trustees Helen Hoffman and Diane Hansen, respectively. Hoffman held her seat on the board since 2006 and Hansen was a board member since 2020. 

As a father of two Polk Street School students, Ciaccio felt it was time a current district parent sat on the board. McCombs felt similarly n her campaign for education board, as a mother of a Polk Street student herself

Ciaccio is excited to represent his fellow parents in the community on the board to ensure their voices are heard. He hit the ground running in his position, meeting with local organizations to get acclimated to his role. 

“I’m starting to feel that it’s really not a thankless job,” Ciaccio said. “It really does make a difference in the community that we live in, and it makes a difference for the students.”

He hopes that new ideas he and McCombs can bring to the table will make students’ experiences in the district better. 

“As an old proverb says, ‘The winds are on our back,’” Ciaccio said. “So I feel that there are great things that we can accomplish. I’m excited.”

He hopes to build off of the district’s existing successes. Areas he wants to focus on as trustee are child safety, special education and increasing communication between the board and the community. 

McCombs is focused on restoring the district’s Integrated Co-Teaching Program, also known as ICT, to a full-day education to provide students with the tools for success. The district’s current ICT program provides for two hours of instructional classes. She hopes to restore the program as soon as it is possible, providing the budget can fund it. 

“I believe that is the most beneficial for students,” McCombs said of a full-day ICT program. “Not only for the special education children, but also for the integrated classrooms. So, I feel that the best thing for our kids to get the education that they deserve is to bring back the full day.”

Another area of concern for McCombs is the reading proficiency level in the district. She is focused on improving security at the district’s three schools as well. She also plans to increase transparency on the board. 

“I’m very excited and very encouraged by meeting (all of the board trustees),” she said. “It seems like everybody is eager to start the work and see what we can do during our tenure.”

Ciaccio has lived in Franklin Square since 2013, a community that he holds plenty of “neighborly love” for. He is an active member of the greater Franklin Square community, as secretary of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce and copresident of the Morton Civic Association. 

“The board is ready to work together towards really bringing the Polk Street, John Street, and Washington Street Schools forward into a direction that will build upon the success and work on the improvements needed,” he said. “I’m very confident that the five individuals on the board are going to work together for the benefit of our community.”

McCombs has lived in Franklin Square for 18 years. She has been an active member of the Polk Street School PTA and Community League of Garden City South. She is eager to get started working with the community and the board. 

“I’m very optimistic,” McCombs said. “I believe everybody that is sitting on the board right now have (the community’s) best interest in their hearts.”