New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Candidate Profile: Patricia Rudd

Board Member Patricia Rudd knows where the district and local economy were 12 years ago and brings that experience to the board of education table.

She said she feels inspired to run for another term on the board because of the state of the economy. The board of education has been lowering the budget-to-budget increase from 10.48 percent in 2005-06 to 2.97 percent in 2011-12, which Rudd credits to Assistant Superintendent for Business Michael Frank's work and helping the board to plan budgets with a three to five year-horizon in mind.

Rudd is a member of the Nassau-Suffolk school board, which she has been on for six years. She also travels to Albany every year and Washington, D.C. on behalf of the district to lobby for New Hyde Park's schools and explain what the district needs.

During her 12-year tenure on the board, Rudd is most proud of her work with the strings program, which she says she "helped to grow."

"We never wanted to cut any of the arts and I'm really proud that with enrichment and music, we've always gone forward, not backward," Rudd said.

In her next term, if she is re-elected to her uncontested spot, Rudd wants to "keep our budgets under three percent if possible and hold down taxes and get mandate relief from Albany."

Rudd noted that if New York State wants to have the tax cap that there needs to be mandate relief as well. Rudd told State that she is okay with the tax cap as long as the mandate relief comes first.

Rudd considers herself to be honest, someone who speaks her mind and energetic.

"I'm here for the kids first and the community second," she said.