Eastport-South Manor School Board
Open Seats: 2
Term: 3 years
Voting will take place on May 15 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Junior-Senior HS Board Room in the High School, located at 543 Moriches-Middle Island Road in Manorville.
| Total District Budget | $87.05 million |
| Spending Increase, Dollars: | $4.45 million |
| Spending Increase, Percentage: | 5.4 percent |
| Piercing State Cap?: | N |
| Projected Tax Levy: | $47.67 million |
| Current Tax Levy: | $45.89 million |
| Tax Levy Increase: | 3.9 percent |
| Proposed Tax Rates: |
$21.54 per $1,000 (Southampton Town) $236.70 per $100 (Brookhaven Town) |
| Current Tax Rates: |
$20.73 per $1,000 (Southampton Town) $227.81 per $100 (Brookhaven Town) |
| Tax Rate Increase: | 3.9 percent |
Candidates:
KENNETH COOKE, incumbent
Election: Eastport-South Manor School Board
Profession: Retired Teacher
Mr. Cooke, the current vice president of the board, is seeking his second three-year term. Mr. Cooke, 58, has four children, two of whom are now enrolled in the district; ...more Nicole, 12, attends Eastport Elementary School and Michaela, 14, is enrolled at the junior-senior high school. He also has two adult children, Megan and Brian.
Prior to retiring three years ago, Mr. Cooke was employed as an elementary school teacher at the William Floyd School District for 34 years. The Manorville resident believes that his experience in education has helped him make important decisions during his first term.
“I like what has been going on in the last three years,” Mr. Cooke said this week. “I like the direction we are going in and I want to continue that.”
One of the issues that Mr. Cooke would like to tackle in his next term is the unfunded state mandates that Albany continuously implements. Recently, ESM started a legislative committee made up of community residents to petition state legislators to keep the districts in mind when creating such mandates. Mr. Cooke noted that, with such continued efforts, the district should be able to facilitate change.
“We are being forced to pay for things that the state wants,” he said. “If they want to do certain things, they should be forced to pay for it—not us.”
Since joining the board in 2009, Mr. Cooke said he is most proud of the way that current members have worked together to move the district to the next level.
“Our work together on the board has made the entire district a great district,” he said. “I would like to continue being on the board to continue to move this district in the right direction.”
KEVIN GLEASON
Election: Eastport-South Manor School Board
Profession: Business Agent for Local 342
Mr. Gleason, the current board president, is seeking his second term. He moved to the district in 1989 and has two daughters—Elizabeth and Emily—currently enrolled in the ...more district; Elizabeth is in the eighth grade and Emily is a junior at the high school.
If reelected, Mr. Gleason, who also lives in Manorville, intends to continue the good work that the board has accomplished during his first three years. He noted that, in spite of challenging economic times, the board has maintained programming levels. That, he added, might not be as easy in the future with the new state cap on the tax levy.
“In these economic times, I would be thrilled to hold onto what we have,” he said. “Going forward, being able to maintain what we have each year is going to become more and more difficult to do.”
Looking back on his first term, Mr. Gleason said he is most proud of his participation in the search and hiring of Schools Superintendent Mark Nocero, who has provided stability in the district. Mr. Gleason is also extremely proud of the occupational education courses that the district has been able to offer through the help of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES, during his tenure.
“This is very near and dear to me,” he said of the BOCES programs. “We have increased the number of students that participate in the program. Not all students are college students, so they need other avenues to explore.”
Mr. Gleason cites his experience as a business agent for the Local 342, United Marine Division, International Longshoremen’s Association union as his best qualifier for sitting on the School Board. He explained that he negotiates and administers contracts, and assists with grievance proceedings—experiences that come in handy when one serves on a school board.
“I want to continue with the good work that has been done over the last three years,” Mr. Gleason said. “That is why I decided to run for a second term.”
STEVENSON PETIT
Election: Eastport-South Manor School Board
Profession: Guidance Counselor
Mr. Petit, who has lived in Manorville since 2007, is seeking for his first term on the board. He said his primary reason for running for office is to unify the board and ...more community.
As the father of three children, two of whom are already attending the district while his youngest will be starting in the fall, Mr. Petit said he has a vested interest in helping the district succeed. For the past 16 years, he has worked as a guidance counselor and teacher at Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn and he believes that his experience and knowledge of the New York State Education Department can be an asset to the board.
According to Mr. Petit, he decided to run in December after a community forum that was intended to discuss changes to the structure of the middle school. He said he witnessed a board that was failing to communicate with the community that it serves.
“There is no transparency,” Mr. Petit said. “I will be a person on the board to be able to reach out to the community and restore the relationship between the community and the administration.”
Mr. Petit said that with more open communication, the district should be able to pursue more programs and activities that will meet the expectations of parents.
“People in Manorville are not ignorant,” Mr. Petit added. “They are concerned for their children, they have taken interests in their children, and they want to offer good things for their children.”
Another one of Mr. Petit’s goals is to improve the district’s technological offerings so students are better prepared after graduation and on a more level playing field with their international competitors.
Mr. Petit graduated from Long Island University and has a bachelor’s degree in education. His three children are Joshua, 12, Jeremiah, 7, and Abigail, 4.
“I want to be a breathe of fresh air and bring a change to the district,” he said.
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