Oyster Bay Board of Ed Election Guide

Information supplied by Tom Gould of Oyster Bay-East Norwich Schools.

On Tuesday, the Oyster Bay-East Norwich community will be asked to vote in the Budget Vote and Trustee Election at Oyster Bay High School.  Polls will be open from 7 a.m-9 p.m.  The terms of current trustees Jim Mattel and Dr. Michael Castellano will end this year.  Dr. Castellano is seeking re-election and Mr. Mattel is not.  Harriet Dorfman, John McEvoy, and Jennifer Romeo are also running for Board of Education Trustees.

The community got to hear from the candidates at a “Meet the Candidates” night sponsored by the PTA and moderated by the League of Women Voters. Since that night, one candidate withdrew from the race and the submission process was re-opened. John McEvoy threw his hat into the ring.

Each candidate has submitted a statement:

John McEvoy

I was born in Oyster Bay and live in East Norwich with my wife Deanne Hardiman McEvoy (an OBHS grad) and three children who attend OBHS and Vernon School.  I am the only candidate or current Board member who has children in Vernon School or Roosevelt School.  I am a business owner and attorney, graduating with a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.

I have served on the OBHS site based committee for the past 2 years and have coached CYO basketball, youth baseball, soccer and flag football, as well as volunteering at the Life Enrichment Senior Center (Doubleday-Babcock Center).

As Chairman of the Oyster Bay Student/Business Partnership for the past 6 years, I run the annual Career Awareness Day, where our 8 opportunities available to them.  I enjoy fostering cooperation between our local business community and our schools.  A director of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce for the past seven years, I was recognized as Businessperson of the Year in 2008.

I will work to continuously improve our children’s educational opportunities.  I have the communication, negotiation and operational skills to identify what is working well and what needs improvement.  I have always enjoyed working as a team to reach a goal and have experience as a director on boards for several years.

Specifically, I would like to harness nearby non-profit organizations and companies to supplement some of the activities we have lost due to budget constraints- (clubs, internships, etc).  We have a good technology program with Cisco that might serve as a model for other programs.  Because of my activities on the Student/Business Partnership, I already enjoy a good working relationship with many members of the district’s leadership.  Importantly, I know how to listen to other points of view so agreement can be reached.   Your vote would be appreciated.  

Michael Castellano M.D. (Incumbent)

I moved to Oyster Bay from Manhattan in 2000. Prior to that I spent 4 years active duty in the US Army. I am currently in private practice as a General Surgeon. I am running for the school board because I feel that we are all obligated to serve our community in some fashion. For me the most rewarding and the most effective way is on the school board. The school system, in one’s district, affects all aspects of the town we live in. For example, the identity of the town, the taxes of the town, and the future of the town are all affected by the fiscal stability and quality of the education in the school system. I feel I possess a broad spectrum of knowledge that can serve to make decisions that not only affect today's challenges but help to shape the future of the Oyster Bay - East Norwich School District.  The last four years, despite challenges never seen before, I have worked hard to keep taxes from rising exponentially and maintaining a strong academic curricula.  I fought to prevent OBEN families from paying for fields that we already paid for with our taxes and I introduced ideas about dual language programs. In my opinion, my tenure on the school board has accomplished these goals and if re-elected I will continue to serve to the best of my ability.

Harriet Dorfman

Having served in many leadership positions within the school district and for 13 years serving as both the Special Education PTA and OBHS PTSA representative to the Board, I feel I am in a unique position to have Board experience without actually having been a Trustee. It is now time for me to take that next step. I was an active member of the facilities committee which ultimately gained approval to add a wing onto the Vernon School and a new science wing in the high school. The district sought my expertise on personnel search committees including twice for the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Assistant Principal at the high school, the high school librarian and other teaching positions. In addition, I continue to serve on the high school Guidance Department committee.

I am currently the co-president of the Friends of the Oyster Bay Performing Arts Center, co-chairperson on the high school staff appreciation day and have worked tirelessly helping to revamp what was known as Taste of the Gold Coast and is now Taste of the Town. As a parent facilitator for Challenge Day during the past five years, I have an intimate perspective of our high school students.  When my children were younger, I was the editor of the TR Roosevelt Elementary School PTA newsletter. My experience benefitted the entire special education population of the district through my service as co-president of SEPTA and serving as a BOCES certified member of the Committee on Special Education. When my son attended BOCES Barry Tech, I served on their site base committee.

The stakeholders of the district, I believe,  consider me to be a bridge builder. My personal relationships with students, teachers, administrators, parents, community members and legislators will allow me to function as an intermediary between all of our constituencies. As a volunteer in many community activities, my source of pride in  OBEN and its diversity is strong. 

In my business career, I was known as a troubleshooter, able to think outside the box and solve problems sometimes in an unusual manner. I am independent in my thoughts and practices. Our district is at a crossroads both administratively and financially; I have experience in both areas. 

We must ultimately consider what is in the best interest of our students who will be the leaders of tomorrow. I have been a resident of Oyster Bay for 23 years. Our children are products of the public school system. Our son is a graduate of Oyster Bay High School and our daughter is currently a 

Jennifer Romeo

My name is Jennifer Romeo and I have lived in East Norwich Oyster Bay for over 20 years.  I have three children currently attending the Oyster Bay High School, and one that graduated in 2012.

In addition, I am an accountant who has worked at a large Long Island based corporation with over 40 stores for 27 years.  I am responsible for the payroll, pension and benefits.  My job skills have led to the development of my in-depth understanding of compensation and pension plans; which, unsurprisingly, comprise the largest percentage of the schools current budget.  As federal and state funding continue to be reduced, it is important to focus on all budget income and expense items in order to support student programs in the future.  We need to bring expenses in line and be conscientious of costs while not dismantling programs and alienating the students who choose to participate in them.  

It is obvious that, as a general practice, we can no longer continue to cut from the same line items every year.  Looking to cut the same line items year after year will not solve the district’s budget constraints in the long term.  In order to maintain growth and stability, it is vital to re-examine our district’s budget line by line while we strive to maintain the delicate balance of needs versus costs and make adjustments accordingly.  The priority is to have an environment where children can learn and grow while not letting unnecessary expenses increase exponentially.  My financial and accounting experience would be a great asset in this process.  

I want to be a part of and foster the same thing that many other parents and faculty strive to accomplish, for our community to have the best schools while keeping our taxes at a reasonable level.  I am confident that my parental experience as well as my professional skills can help the board and other decision makers, to make the right choices with the district and balancing the budget to achieve the school district’s goals.  Even though some of the decisions may seem 
tough, they are certainly not insurmountable.

The elections are on Tuesday, May 21 at the Oyster Bay High School from 7 am until 9 p.m.  Every Vote Counts – Please, VOTE.