PTA Council’s Meet the Candidate night provides forum for potential BOE trustees

On Monday, May 13, the four candidates for the board of education joined community members for the PTA Council’s annual Meet the Candidate night. Guided by New York State PTA guidelines, the two-hour event included opening and closing statements from each candidate, as well as a Q&A session consisting of questions emailed to the council prior to the event. Moderator Rebecca Gibson was able to ask the candidates 28 questions in the designated timeframe. According to Gibson, 15 community members submitted questions.

Two seats are available on the board, as current trustees Victoria Buscareno and Carol Taylor’s terms are expiring. Taylor is running for reelection; joining her in the race are Northport residents Victoria Bento, Michael Cleary and Paul Darrigo.    

The questions put forth by community members fit into a handful of categories, including communication, social media and cell phone use, transportation, the sale or lease of district buildings, security, budgeting and student belonging. Using their responses provided on Monday, in the order in which they were answered, below is a summary of positions shared by each candidate on some discussed categories. A recording of the full Meet the Candidate event can be requested by emailing secretary@nenptacouncil.org. 

Opening Statements
The opening statements were given in the order that candidates will be listed on the ballot and questions thereafter were provided in a round robin format. 

Bento introduced herself as a culinary arts teacher at West Hempstead Secondary School and a family consumer sciences teacher for the past ten years. She said she was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the first CTE (career and technical education) alternate pathway for the West Hempstead school district, which was a benefit to special education students and those who wanted to attend trade schools. In addition to her teaching degrees, Bento has advanced degrees in school building leadership and school district leadership. She is currently the president and professional development chair for Long Island Family Consumer Science Professionals, as well as a certified travel agent, and active member of the Northport Historical Society and Chamber of Commerce. 

Cleary’s primary objective in running for the BOE, he said, is to ensure the highest quality education for all students in the district. “This commitment extends to my own two children, who attend Northport High School. I firmly believe that every student deserves access to top-tier courses, excellent staff and well maintained facilities, and that we do it all in a financially responsible manner,” he said. 

He described his deep roots in the Northport community, where he grew up, returning in 2020 with his family. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business UPenn and said his extensive experience in the business sector equips him with valuable skills, such as understanding budgets and being able to evaluate financial health. Cleary said that over the last decade, he has cultivated relationships with retail partners, leading to significant growth for the brands he represents. 

Darrigo said that he first got involved in the Northport-East Northport community 15 years ago, when he began coaching his boys’ little league teams, creating the league’s first-ever “fall ball” program, and then served on the league board. Later on, he became interested in LIPA’s tax lawsuit against the community. He hoped that the countersuit that was filed would be successful but, when that didn’t look promising, he decided to advocate for the community, organizing 5,000 people in a group he started: Concerned Taxpayers Against LIPA. He led protests throughout NEN and Long Island, and said the experience was equally terrifying, educational and rewarding. “Ultimately, we had to settle and that was hard, but the facts changed and that required that leadership adjust to that,” Darrigo said. After that, Darrigo was invited to participate in the district’s Long-Range Financial Planning Committee, where he served as a leader. He said he wasn’t always the most popular voice on the committee, mainly because he highlighted the district’s spending per pupil and the need to articulate the value the schools bring to the community. Darrigo closed by stating that he’s in the financial services industry, he’s an analyst and presents complex ideas to CEOs. 

Taylor said that she’d like to continue to serve on the BOE, especially through the district’s current crossroads. During her term, Taylor said, the board established the data dashboard, allowing the district to gauge student progress and set goals for improvement, restored the elementary health education teacher, added an elementary psychologist to reduce the mental health staff’s case loads, and looked for fiscal efficiency in order to preserve programs and the district’s community college model. Taylor said that she served on the policies, facilities, advocacy and board financial planning committees. The next board will be tackling major issues, she said, such as the LIPA glidepath ending in 2027 and the sale of district buildings, which she does not favor. She said she’s in favor of leasing or repurposing the unoccupied buildings, and would love to see Dickinson Avenue Elementary School be used as a CTE or discovery center for district and neighboring students. She said she supports scrutinizing the high school’s elective programs and club enrollment numbers, with an eye to weed out stale programs that students no longer have interest in taking, making way for newer, high-demand electives and an increase in vocational offerings. Taylor said she doesn’t support adding armed guards to district security, but would support bringing in another SRO (school resource officer) who is hired and trained by the Suffolk County Police Department. 

Communication
When asked how they would connect with district residents of all ages and phases of life to better understand their perspectives, all candidates said that they’d make an effort to get out into the community to meet and hear from community members. 

Darrigo said we’re all guilty of being in the bubble of our own social circles, but as a board member it would be his job to reach into the community and learn from residents. He said that he’d take this aspect of the position seriously. 

Taylor said that as a teacher in the district for over twenty years, she has circulated among families throughout that time and keeps in touch with most of them. She also noted her position as an education director for a local nonprofit, which has branched her into a different community circle that she wasn’t previously exposed to. 

Bento said she’s very active in the community and is a member of the Northport Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce and the Northport boating community. She said that if she were elected, she’d meet with local residents and attend gatherings. She also noted that social media is a way to connect with residents. 

Clearly said that if elected trustee, he’d make himself as available as possible and would respond to community inquiries. He said he’d also be sure to attend events in both Northport and East Northport, including plays, athletic events and PTA meetings. 

When asked how they would communicate factual information to all community members, Taylor said the district should start with improving its website to make sure it is getting the message across to residents, while also being receptive and responsive to emails. She also said that sometimes on social media, when false information goes out to the public, it needs to be corrected immediately before it takes on a life of its own. 

Bento agreed that the website needs updating and as a resident without children, she has relied heavily on the website to get information related to the district. 

Cleary also mentioned improving the website and its navigation and said that while the district could investigate mailings, it’s expensive and not very green. He also said that he wonders if the district could partner with the local press to put the decisions of the BOE into their publications.

Darrigo hopes to bring his corporate expertise to bear by using best practices, he said, adding that there are school districts doing a wonderful job of communicating and he would want to emulate how they do it. He also noted that the district pays a communications consultant and he would want to understand their role and what the district is getting for that investment. 

Sale or Lease of Buildings
Taylor said that she’s against selling the buildings because she thinks of it as a “one and done” benefit and likened it to the sale of Larkfield Elementary, which is now the Atria; she’s looking for a longer-term benefit and thinks that leasing is a better option. She noted that Bellerose Elementary School is the only building that’s not being used currently and “has faith” that someone will come forward to lease that building. 

Bento said that at this time, we should not sell the buildings, but should actively look to lease them. She said while most of the research the district has done covers the course of the next three to five years, we’re not looking to ten years and beyond. “There’s a whole generation of people who have not started having children in our community and also there’s still trends of people moving from the city limits out to Nassau and Suffolk County, and where are those children going to go to school?” she said. 

Cleary said that he needed more information before taking a definitive stance on the three buildings, but believes that the district should retain its assets and strive for revenue neutrality or budget gains. He noted, also, that holding onto the buildings indefinitely may be imprudent if they are going to drain district resources and with the Newmark contract ending in June, he wants to explore other real estate firms’ plans, establish a sunset clause for the unleashed properties, and look at other opportunities for the buildings, such as educational facilities. 

Darrigo said one of the roles of a trustee is to listen to the community and “so far, there seems to be overwhelming support for retaining the buildings.” He said that he supports that decision, but also wants the community to understand the costs of maintaining the buildings without any occupants. He also noted that the district should look for opportunities to generate revenue.

Budgeting
When asked about their stance on the 2024-2025 district budget, Cleary said that he supports the budget because he feels it’s fiscally responsible. He said the tax levy increase of 2.33% is below the tax levy limit for the thirteenth consecutive year. “Our district's unwavering commitment to prudent financial management ensures long-term fiscal stability for the district, school and taxpayers,” Cleary said. He also noted that there are things we can’t change, including rising healthcare premiums, property liability insurance and transportation contracts, which are all “relatively out of our control,” he said. Clearly added that the district has streamlined programming and he agrees with Superintendent Moyer’s approach in investigating and consolidating the district's clubs and athletic programs. 

Darrigo also said he supports the budget. “I got involved with the whole LIPA affair because I felt so strongly that it was going to really put pressure on the community and I really thought about the impact on the taxpayers,” he said, adding that he wants to continue supporting a district of excellence that values education. 

Taylor said she supports the budget and has done so for the last three years, since becoming a BOE trustee. “It’s unfortunate that our transportation costs and our health insurance costs far outpace inflation, but I’m very grateful that we’re looking and scrutinizing our spending and being much more creative in our approach to that spending,” Taylor said. 

Bento said that she’s supportive of the budget and doesn’t think we should cut any other programs. “We should continue to provide an education for all of our students. We’re not just going to have doctors and lawyers, we’re going to have all different types of students walk through the doors of our schools and that’s why it’s important that we’re educating them to their interests and who they can be,” Bento said. 

Role of the BOE and Qualifications
Bento said the role of the BOE is to represent the taxpayers and work with district administration to provide education for our students.

Cleary said that the board is meant to listen to the community to provide policy and guidance. Board members provide information to the public and receive it from the public in order to enact policies, he said. 

Darrigo said that sometimes people feel that board members have a lot more power than they do. “The role of a board member is to hire and assess the performance of the superintendent, to make policy and to vote on budgets to put forth to the community,” he said. 

Taylor said that boards work together to work on policy, fiduciary oversight and budget guidance, and they “stay out of the weeds” by placing trust in the superintendent and administration. 

When asked about their qualifications for the BOE, Cleary said that he runs his business as “transparent and clear as possible.” He values concise communication, collaboration and listening to all parties involved: “I have to bring people together in my job, so spending a lot of time listening to different sides of the story and analyzing all of that data to put forth a win-win-win situation is what I strive for, and that’s what I’m going to bring to the board,” Cleary said. He also noted the attention to detail that he’s learned during his fifteen years in the business sector. 

Darrigo said that “service has to be in your blood” to become a board member and he has demonstrated that he is a public servant in the Northport-East Northport community. “I have the financial acumen from my 34 years in the banking sector,” he said, adding that he’s also a strong communicator who can help craft the conversation with the community so that people realize the excellence that exists here. 

Taylor said that as a sitting board trustee, she has experience under her belt. She is civic-minded, listens, has common sense, and is a trained teacher – so she knows education and what’s good for the kids.

Bento said it’s important to be able to communicate and listen. She said it’s helpful for residents to understand that while they won’t always agree, as long as they can come together when facing a problem, they will be able to find solutions together. 

A recording of the full Meet the Candidate event can be requested by emailing secretary@nenptacouncil.org.