Open Letter to Pat-Med Community

When reelected three years ago, I committed to the Patchogue Medford Community to place students first, achieve an affordable tax rate, address administrative shortcomings, provide full financial disclosure, and restore board accountability to the public.  I can say we have made significant achievements towards this end.

A few short years ago the district was in dire financial stress, with limited fiscal control and oversight. Today, Patchogue-Medford is an example of how to turn a district around. Under new leadership, we have built an effective team which works together to address the needs of the students, tax payers, and staff. Under my current term as Board President, we have established a balance between the needs of the students and our community, which produced a proposed budget with a tax levy to tax levy decrease of 0.07%.  We have also maintained all of our programs and courses of study for all of our students, increased our teaching staff by approximately 11 positions, increased all our reserves, refinanced our debt, and restructured our transportation program which will allow an increase of aid to the district.

Patchogue-Medford has also judiciously, addressed the rollout of Common Core. Unlike other districts we have not blindly rolled out the full curriculum. Although the standards were forced upon us, we determine how and what curriculum will be implemented. This matches the Board‘s philosophy where we refused ‘Race To the Top’ funds which would have taken the control of student records from the district placing them in the hands of nameless bureaucrats. I see it as a duty to insure that your district controls as much of the process as is possible, maintaining this right for the community.

If you agree that I have achieved my stated goals, I respectively ask for your support and allow me to serve the community for another term.

Brett P. Houdek

President, Patchogue-Medford Board of Education