Residents heard from five candidates seeking three seats on the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District Board of Education at the district’s Meet the Candidates night last week. The discussion focused on school achievement, transparency, technology, budgeting and student services ahead of the May 19 election.
Hosted in partnership with the League of Women Voters, the April 27 forum gave candidates the chance to discuss their qualifications and visions for the district. The contested seats include two full terms running through June 30, 2030, and one partial term expiring in June 2027.
League representatives Barbara Epstein, Joan Galante and Harriet Steinberg moderated the event. The candidates included incumbents Nancy Castrogiovanni and Maryann Santos, the current board president and vice president; former Trustees Todd Cronin and Anne Marie Longo; and newcomer Alina Vegilante.
Throughout the evening, candidates repeatedly pointed to the district’s achievements in academics, athletics and facilities improvements while also debating concerns over transparency, technology and educational priorities.
Castrogiovanni highlighted what she described as significant progress in academic performance and school rankings during her time on the board.
“Oyster Bay-East Norwich is now ranked by Niche in the top 3 percent of schools in America,” she said, referring to the ranking and review website, “and placing number 41 in New York state.”
She also pointed to increased passing rates on Advanced Placement exams, expanded facilities and new district programs.
Santos emphasized the district’s financial management and its opposition to state regionalization initiatives, and highlighted improvements in graduation rates and outcomes for students with disabilities.
“Our students with disability, our most vulnerable population, only graduated at a 60 percent level five years ago,” Santos said. “Today they are graduating at 100 percent graduation rate, narrowing that achievement gap.”
Cronin, a retired Nassau County police detective and a former board president, has focused much of his campaign on accountability and communication with residents.
“I’m running … to promote integrity, accountability, transparency and fiscal responsibility in the district’s budget and expenditures,” he said.
Longo, who previously served for 12 years on the board, said she wanted to restore what she described as stronger communication between district leadership and the public. “I am running … to be the ears and the voice of my constituents who elect me,” she said, “the voice of those who have gone unheard.”
Vegilante, an attorney and a parent of a district student, centered her remarks on concerns about classroom technology and artificial intelligence.
“The more I looked into the research on education technology,” she said, “the more I learned of its detriments and the lack of any support of its claim to benefits.”
Questions from the audience touched on issues ranging from transparency to sports, special education and transgender athletes.
On the subject of transparency, candidates generally agreed that public communication was important, though they differed on whether the current board had been sufficiently open with residents.
“I look at transparency as, if a question is asked from a community member to the board,” Cronin said, “you try to answer that question as best you can that night.”
Longo said that transparency involved “building trust,” and called for more public discussion during meetings.
Santos defended current board practices, citing the district’s use of online documents and public budget presentations. “We have worked very hard at being transparent, particularly this budget season,” she said. “Many of our neighboring school districts are really having to cut their budgets, and we thought it was very prudent to get out early and in front of anything that this board needed to eliminate, and how we were going to balance our budget and stay within the property tax cap.”
Artificial intelligence and technology in schools were the focus of some of the sharpest differences among candidates. Longo said that A.I. would likely become an important educational tool if implemented carefully. Castrogiovanni made that point as well, saying that the changes A.I. has brought to the job market make understanding it an important skill.
Santos discussed cybersecurity concerns and the need to balance innovation with protecting student privacy. Vagliante argued that schools should slow the adoption of A.I. technology, particularly for younger students.
“I don’t believe our children should be a part of this experiment,” she said.
The candidates also addressed declining enrollment and its impact on interscholastic sports. Several noted partnerships with neighboring districts and new sports offerings such as sailing, crew and swimming.
Santos and Castrogiovanni pointed to improvements in graduation rates among special-education students as evidence of successful district support systems.
Budgeting and spending priorities were also a major topic. Candidates largely agreed that they would avoid cutting student programs if state funding shrank, though Vegilante suggested reducing technology spending before cutting academic or extracurricular opportunities.
Longo criticized administrative costs, specifically referencing the superintendent’s salary. Santos defended the administration’s financial decisions, arguing that district leadership had improved academic performance while remaining within the tax cap.
Toward the end of the evening, candidates were asked why they were seeking a seat on the board. Vegilante said she wanted to advocate for children and evidence-based educational practices.
“I’m running … because I am very passionate for advocating for the needs of the kids,” she said.
Cronin pointed to his years of community involvement and previous service on the board, while Castrogiovanni urged residents to continue supporting the current board’s direction.
“When you cast your ballot,” she said, “I ask you to vote for proven success.”
The budget vote and board election will be held May 19 in the high school chorus room.
