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Three Village Central School District

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Ward Melville High School. File photo by Greg Catalano

By William Stieglitz

Over a hundred people attended the March 26 Board meeting for Three Village Central School District, where reported incidents of antisemitism were discussed. The week before, Superintendent Scanlon had sent out a letter saying the incidents were part of “a larger issue occurring that we need to address” and that the district “is planning immediate and long-term, systemic methods to address antisemitism, racism and hate speech.” The meeting’s high attendance required the use of two overflow rooms, where community members watched the meeting down the hall via livestream.

Scanlon said the incidents “occurred at our middle level” and “most incurred speech and insensitive acts or remarks,” though there were no acts of violence or threats. Under state regulations, he could not comment on the specifics as a matter of protecting students’ privacy, though the public comments from community members, along with the district’s proposed solutions, did provide context.

Community member Shelly Samson thanked Scanlon for the letter following what she described as “the antisemitism incident that occurred at Gelinas Junior High School… in a social studies class after viewing a film on the Holocaust,” expressing concern for the “very insensitive remark.” According to Scanlon, the board had met with the Westchester Holocaust Center following the incidents and Christina Cone, the director of social studies, will be bringing in a Holocaust survivor on April 9 for 10th grade students to meet. Additionally, he announced they have been communicating with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Jewish Partisan Educations Foundation (JPEF), and that the board will be looking at training for teachers and reviewing the current curriculum. “It doesn’t matter if it was 1 or 41,” he said regarding the incidents. “One is enough.”

Everyone who made public comments on the incidents thanked or praised the board for their handling of the matter thus far. Community member and parent Galia Lahav said she’d like to see education on implicit antisemitism in addition to the “very explicit antisemitism” of the recent incidents. Rabbi Aaron Benson from the North Shore Jewish Center spoke on the number of antisemitic incidents nationwide, saying there were 3,697 reported in 2022, then 3,291 from the time of the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel to the end of the year alone. Deborah Peretz, from the Israel advocacy group Stand With Us, asked for learning related to current issues, in addition to Holocaust education. “The Jewish people are living through history right now…. There’s a 23-year-old,” she said, referring to Israeli American solider Omer Neutra, who was reported killed during the October 7 attack. “He’s dead but he’s in the Gaza tunnels right now. He’s from Plainview. It’s 30 minutes away.”

Rabbi Josh Gray from Temple Isaiah did not speak during the public comment portion, but said afterward that he had met with Scanlon that week and is grateful the district is being proactive. Speaking on what actions community members can take to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination he said, “the best thing to do is to speak up when something is said… Call out hate wherever we see it. Be an ally to marginalized communities, and don’t let it slide. I think if we all stick together and stick up for each other we can create a community of communities, which is the ultimate goal.”

The other matters discussed at the Board meeting included the questions of whether to arm school guards and whether to take money from the emergency reserves to fund the budget. “The district is bankrupt in the sense that we can’t make payroll,” said trustee Dr. David McKinnon, who added they are currently projected to lose about 80 employees. The proposed budget is set to be adopted on April 9 with the community vote on May 20.

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Suffolk County residents can call 311 to report an antisemitic incident. File photo from Steve Bellone’s Flickr page

The Three Village Central School District was the subject of much conjecture and anxious speculation last week after Superintendent Kevin Scanlon released a letter addressing incidents of antisemitism and hate speech at their schools. 

Addressing the problem means admitting there is one: something many would be hesitant to do; Scanlon and other administrators took a bold step, opening themselves up to criticism, in making a move towards change. 

In the letter, Scanlon states that current initiatives aren’t enough to abate hate speech and that more needs to be done to educate both students and employees. “It is evident that the numerous resources, programs and educational opportunities that the district currently provides are not enough,” the letter reads. 

The letter is upsetting as students are still being excluded, bullied or harassed in a place they should feel completely at ease and comfortable and where their identity doesn’t cause conflict or discomfort. 

It is comforting to know the district is tackling these problems aggressively and in spite of potentially opening itself up to “bad publicity.” The Anti-Defamation League records a 200% increase of antisemetic acts from 2023 to 2024—over 10,000 in one year.

Bullying is ubiquitous–a weed within every school– but education and thoughtful programing and training, initiatives Scanlon is suggesting, may be able to help. The rising antisemitism, however, is not normal. A 200% increase is completely unacceptable. In schools, it is possible that these children don’t know what they are saying is hurtful–maybe they are trying to be irreverent and rebellious. Hopefully, the Three Village School District is on track to eradicate hate from its schools–to educate and change the narrative around other religions and to promote curiosity and acceptance rather than blind rejection and alienation. After all, hatred often comes from ignorance and a lack of empathy. It’s hard to hate or bully someone you know, understand and respect. 

Rabbi Aaron Benson from the North Shore Jewish Center in Port Jefferson Station said he tries not to dwell on these acts of antisemitism. “I want the experience of the members of the congregation to be about the positive and joyful and meaningful aspects of Judaism,” Benson said, “and not about the people who say negative and cruel things.”

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Ward Melville High School. File photo

Debate over arming school security guards continues

By Mallie Jane Kim

School building maintenance and improvement projects warrant considering a bond in Three Village Central School District, according to district officials.

A bond, which would need voter approval, would allow the district to borrow money over a 15-year term to address needs such as repairing the cupolas that top the aging brick buildings, updating science labs and adding air conditioning to elementary school cafeterias.

The annual increase in cost to the average taxpayer would be about $284, according to an estimate by interim Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Carlson.

New York State building aid currently reimburses 66% of the cost and interest involved in building projects in Three Village, money that would be paid out over that same 15-year term as the loan.

“If we’re in agreement that work needs to be done, a bond is the fairest way for taxpayers to pay for it,” Carlson said at a Dec. 11 school board meeting. “No matter how you look at it, it’s a great deal that somebody else is paying two thirds of the cost of any of the projects that we have to do.”

The 66% reimbursement rate is high for a wealthier district like Three Village, due to a quirk in the building aid formula that states a district will get either the result of a wealth-calculation formula or the percentage it got the previous year, whichever is higher. 

After Gov. Kathy Hochul’s attempts last year to cut state aid to many school districts, including about $8 million from Three Village, school officials wonder if the building aid formula may also face future adjustments. If so, Three Village building aid from the state could drop to 37.6% based on current wealth levels, according to Carlson, who added that voting to secure a bond would lock in the current aid rate. Any actual work would likely begin summer of 2026.

“Issuing a bond now should secure, in principle, this favorable reimbursement throughout the term of the bond,” said Tracy Harris, reading from a statement by a bond committee made up of parents, community members and stakeholders from district employee groups.

The committee visited each building for a firsthand review of projects that would fall under the bond and, after almost a year of discussions, unanimously recommended the board approve a referendum at the “earliest reasonable date.”

The committee also recommended a tiered approach with multiple propositions, separating out greater needs in one proposition and lower-priority needs in another, contingent on voters adopting the first proposition. 

“This tiered approach empowers the community to support the level of investment they deem appropriate while maximizing the likelihood that critical projects are funded,” read Harris.

But Carlson cautioned the tiers could imply projects in a secondary proposition are not important. He said air conditioning in elementary school cafeterias and junior high school gyms may sound superfluous, except for a new state law requiring schools vacate rooms that reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot June or September days could render those spaces unusable. 

“Air conditioning is not quite the luxury that it used to be,” Carlson said.

If the school board decides to approve a referendum at its January 8 meeting, residents could potentially vote on the bond in March, before the district begins its 2025-2026 budget planning. 

Parents speak out against arming security guards

Debate among district parents about whether to arm school security guards continues to percolate after a student accidentally brought a parent’s loaded law enforcement weapon into a classroom at Ward Melville High School on Oct. 10. 

District officials have said they are reviewing and updating security protocol, including working to acquire an AI weapons detection system. A newly formed parent group has called publicly over the past months for metal detectors and armed security guards, but now others are speaking against such measures.

“Actively bringing firearms to the school campus, regardless of whose hands they are in, is not the answer,” argued parent Ian Farber during the board meeting’s public comment section. “It’s incumbent on all of us to bolster effective security measures, not succumb to fears. For if we live in fear, we lose.”

One major concern was whether students with anxiety, ADHD or autism may, in a moment of crisis, inadvertently appear to be a threat to an armed security guard unfamiliar with how to appropriately deescalate such situations.

Others said armed guards and metal detectors offer a “false sense of security” and pointed to a 2021 academic study published on the JAMA network that found school shootings where armed guards were present had a 2.83% greater rate of deaths.

“There are more effective things that we can do before we go to the knee-jerk reaction of putting in metal detectors and armed guards,” said district parent Nadia Busseuil, who suggested preventative measures like addressing bullying and making sure kids are connected to caring adults like teachers, guidance counselors and psychologists.

To those who prefer arming guards, the option is not knee-jerk but a long time coming. 

Three Village parent Alex Dicpinigaitis said district solutions like AI weapons detection are a waste of time.

“At the end of that project, we’ll still have the same situation but with a bigger tax bill: We’ll still have a bad guy with a gun and no good guy with a gun to stop him,” said Dicpinigaitis, whose Facebook group 3v Parents for Armed Security has over 200 members. “For a significantly lower price, we can arm our guards today.”

Groups on both sides of this issue are circulating petitions to present to the Board of Education. 

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Photo courtesy the Three Village Central School District
Photo courtesy the Three Village Central School District
Photo courtesy the Three Village Central School District
Photo courtesy the Three Village Central School District

The team builders club at Setauket Elementary School recently kicked off the season of giving. Third and fourth graders worked together to construct gingerbread villages, surrounded by trees, sleds and characters made entirely of tasty treats. The creations were donated to the Long Island State Veterans Home in the Three Village community for residents and their families to enjoy throughout the holiday season.

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Photos courtesy of Three Village School District

Two students from the Three Village Central School District won essay contests sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. High school students were invited to participate in the VFW Voice of Democracy student essay contest. The contest challenged students to write and record an audio essay based on an annual patriotic theme.

This year’s theme was, “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” Nafisah Haque, a junior in Ms. Parrella’s United States History and Government Honors class at Ward Melville High School, was selected as the local winner for Setauket Post 3054. Haque’s essay will now move on to the district level competition.

Additionally, students in grades six through eight were encouraged to enter the VFW Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest, which provides an opportunity for students to share their thoughts on an annual patriotic theme. The theme for the 2024-2025 school year was, “My Voice in America’s Democracy?” Amelia James, a sixth grader in Mr. Prinzo’s class at Nassakeag Elementary School, was chosen as the local winner. Amelia’s essay will also advance to the district level competition.

Dr. Christina Cone, district director of social studies, commended the students, saying, “We are proud of their thoughtful reflections on our nation’s values. Their participation showcases both academic dedication and a commitment to the ideals of democracy. We wish them the best of luck in the next stages of the competition. A special thank you to Setauket VFW Post 3054 for their continued support of our students.”

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Ward Melville High School. File photo

By Mallie Jane Kim

Three Village Central School District is weighing options for enhanced security in the wake of an incident where a student accidentally brought a parent’s law enforcement gun into a classroom at Ward Melville High School Oct. 10. 

The student immediately surrendered the weapon, and a subsequent investigation found there had been no threat, but many parents were disconcerted that a gun could enter the school so easily.

Some parents see armed guards as the solution, and several have publicly advocated for immediate implementation through public comments at board meetings and through a new Facebook group on the matter, which currently has about 200 members.

“Inaction on this issue is negligence,” parent Michael Corbisiero told the school board at a Nov. 6 meeting. Corbisiero, who identified himself as a retired chief of police and U.S. Navy veteran, pointed out that some neighboring school districts, for example, Smithtown Central School District and Miller Place Union Free School District, have voted to include armed guards in their security protocols, and he expressed frustration that he hadn’t seen the board make any changes over the month since the incident.

“I see no armed guards, I see no security upgrades, I see no additional staff,” Corbisiero said. “I see nothing different.”

According to Jack Blaum, the district’s safety and security coordinator, who provided an update at the board meeting, not all security upgrades will be visible to the public. Blaum touted an AI weapons detection technology that would integrate with existing security cameras as a best first step and said the district is close to choosing one. Implementing the technology would take about a month, he said.

Any security solution needs to be part of a robust system, according to Blaum, even the AI technology he prefers. “It’s one tool of many tools that we need to put in place,” Blaum said. “Nothing is the end-all.”

Blaum said he does not support metal detectors since, in his view, the usefulness of those systems does not outweigh the logistical hurdles or the impact on students’ sense of well-being walking through them every day.

“It creates an anxious society for us,” Blaum said. “The goal of the projects and surveys I’m working on currently is to strike that balance between weapon detection and creating a safe environment here.” 

Placing armed security guards in schools has been a fraught issue across the nation, with some parents concerned about creating an atmosphere of fear as well as the potential for accidents or misuse. Others support the idea as a quicker way to stop would-be school shooters.

If Three Village opted to implement an armed security guard program, Blaum would prefer arming existing employees who are familiar with the buildings and the students, as opposed to contracting with an outside vendor. 

“If we determine there’s somebody with a weapon outside room 220 at Ward Melville, our people are going to know that,” Blaum said. “Arriving police? They’re not going to be that familiar with it. Vendors? Not that familiar with it.”

Vice President Karen Roughley emphasized that even in districts where armed guards or metal detectors are voted in, implementation doesn’t happen overnight — and she added that the board is charged with considering viewpoints from all stakeholders before making a policy change like this.

“Everything is on the table for discussion and how we do it, but it needs to be done right,” Roughley said. “Not fast — right.”

The next BOE meeting will be held on Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. 

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Ward Melville High School. File photo
District provides new details during board meeting

By Mallie Jane Kim

Scarier than any Halloween nightmare, the specter of school shootings haunts parents around the United States. So when Three Village Central School District announced a gun had made its way into a classroom at Ward Melville High School the morning of Oct. 10, parents wanted answers. 

Many found the district’s initial response lacking and demanded — and got — some additional information at an Oct. 23 board meeting, which is available to watch in full on the district’s YouTube channel.

“I want to know from the board, what are we doing?” asked district parent and Ward Melville alumna Yolanda Shields, who said Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon’s emails about the incident did little to ease her concerns. “This has been two weeks now. Every day my kids go to school, I am afraid.”

In an initial email to inform parents about police presence at Ward Melville on Oct. 10, Scanlon referred to a “non-threatening situation” in which the child of a law enforcement officer accidentally brought their father’s backpack, identical to theirs, to school. Scanlon wrote that the student surrendered the gun to a teacher immediately upon discovering it, and a police investigation deemed there was no malicious intent. The district did not share information about any action against the parent, who officials said is part of a law enforcement agency in Suffolk County.

Scanlon’s email stated, “At no time was the safety or security of our students and staff in any jeopardy.”

This was a point of contention for some parents, who pushed back that any time a gun is unexpectedly on a school campus, there is danger.

The gun was in fact loaded, according to additional details provided by district security & safety coordinator Jack Blaum. 

“There was a clip in it, one in the chamber, ready to go,” he said at the meeting. “Absolutely, if the trigger was pressed, it would’ve fired.”

Within minutes, responding security guards with law enforcement backgrounds unloaded the gun, according to Blaum, who emphasized that he, other district leaders and board members are taking the situation very seriously and have been meeting “ad nauseum” to figure out the best next steps. He added that installing metal detectors right away, as some parents have called for, comes with inherent complications, including that they would be required at every entrance point in every school building, and would have to be monitored by armed guards 24 hours a day. 

“That’s a big move for this district — it’s not something we could do overnight,” he explained, adding that he is most interested in emerging AI technology that could monitor for weapons using the security camera system.

Installing a visible fix like metal detectors without thinking through the entire system and allowing stakeholder input would be engaging in “security theater,” according to Scanlon, who said many of the measures the district takes in its more than $3 million security budget are behind the scenes.

“We do not want to divulge, even to the community, the levels of things that we have in place,” he said, adding that a robust security plan involves a focus on students’ emotional and mental health, something the district has said is a priority. To add an element of physical security alone, he said, “it’s not as foolproof as people might think.”

Blaum, Scanlon and the board president, Susan Rosenzweig, encouraged parents to email them with questions or comments, and said upcoming board meetings would include updates on the work of the relevant committees and staff.

For his part, Blaum said he is disturbed at the fact that a gun got into the school, and he thinks about it every day. The same is true for the parents who shared public comments.

“I’m so thankful that we’re not all around a vigil of candles,” parent Shields said. “Because that’s what could’ve happened.”

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Ward Melville High School. File photo

By Mallie Jane Kim

New York Regents Exam scores can no longer lower student course grades in Three Village Central School District, after the school board unexpectedly resurrected a policy that directs teachers to only include the scores if they help a student’s GPA.

“I believe we have reached a point in time where it makes sense to let these grades help our kids and let that be their incentive to do well,” said board President Susan Rosenzweig, in bringing the issue back to the table at an Oct. 9 board meeting. “But if it doesn’t, their academic work through the course of the year should stand toward their final grade.”

Just before Regents exams began last June, a new wave of parent advocacy led the board to reconsider the so-called “Do No Harm” policy, but at that time trustees reaffirmed their November vote to include the scores at 10% — down from about 12% before the pandemic.

After the last Regents season, though, students did report lower grades due to exam scores. Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon called out the physics Regents as one that particularly impacted student course grades.

“Teachers and administrators always want to see the students do their best on whatever we give them, and want to give them the best opportunity,” Scanlon said, adding that some comparable districts do not include the scores in final grades since the state does not require it. “It’s not a perfect system.”

This decision comes as the state’s Education Department is considering a new vision for graduation requirements, which would provide alternate means of demonstrating proficiency, rather than requiring the exams for everyone.

But district administrators made clear the exams themselves are not a waste of effort.

“The Regents Exams are extremely important to us as far as the data we get,” said Brian Biscari, assistant superintendent for educational services. “They are one of the only tools of standardization that we have that we can look at our instructional program and see how our kids are doing.”

Celebrating cellphone policy success

The district’s effort to reduce the use of cellphones at school is showing positive results, according to Scanlon. He indicated the culture within the junior high schools, in particular, is improving.

“Seeing students without their faces buried in phones and literally having conversations at cafeteria tables is a real heart boost for everyone,” he said. “We’ve sort of turned a corner on this.”

High school students have welcomed the policy, as well, according to senior Hazel Cohas, Ward Melville High School’s student representative to the board.

“In the past, there have been policies that have faced a lot of backlash,” she shared, pointing specifically to a vandalism-prevention policy instituted last year requiring students to carry their IDs and swipe them to use restrooms. But on limiting cellphone use, she hasn’t heard complaints: “I haven’t heard anything, and I think it’s going well.”

Bullying complaints have seen a “very large decline” from this time last year, Scanlon reported, and particularly those associated with social media.

Scanlon urged vigilance, though, because it is still early in the school year and since “students are very smart,” some may look for ways around the policy.

Junior high to middle school preview

Three Village junior high schools will get new names in fall 2025, officially transitioning to Paul J. Gelinas Middle School and Robert Cushman Murphy Middle School, both comprising sixth through eighth grades.

More will shift than just the name and grade makeup, according to Biscari, who called the focus on transition supports a “comprehensive philosophical change in our middle school model.”

The most significant change is the addition of a standalone nine-minute advisory period to allow a specific time for the Pledge of Allegiance and announcements, as well as for activities to build social skills, social emotional learning and relationships. The schedule can also shift to allow for an extended advisory period on days where the student body participates in special activities, like on Unity Day.

According to the presentation by junior high principals, Corinne Keane (PJG) and Michael Jantzen (RCM), advisory groups will be heterogeneous, allowing students who would normally be in different level classes to be together.

“They start to forge connections with people — with kids, with staff members — that are hopefully making them feel a little bit more connected to their school and their environment,” explained Keane, who said area middle schools she’s spoken to have implemented the advisory period concept. “It’s a cornerstone of middle school culture.”

Sixth grade will operate under “teaching teams,” where a cohort of students will all be assigned the same set of teachers in core academic subjects. This way, teachers can better collaborate to help students succeed, and parents can meet with all of their child’s core teachers at once.

Students will also be able to spread requirements for technology, art, and family and consumer science over three years instead of two, allowing space for an additional elective each year.

The schools are already collaborating with elementary schools to aid in the transition of two grade levels up to next year’s middle schools, and they are looking ahead to additional ways to bridge the gap between middle school and high school. One part of that plan is to allow for some dances, celebrations and a theme-park field trip to be joint affairs with both eighth graders from the middle schools and ninth graders from the high school.

“We want to make sure that the transitions are as smooth as they can be,” said Jantzen, adding that junior high administrators will continue talking with staff from the other schools to continue to fine-tune transition supports. “We are taking into account all concerns.”

Changing to middle schools, though, means saying goodbye to a seventh-through-ninth-grade junior high model that has been around Three Village for nearly 60 years. The principals want to use this year’s junior high yearbooks to recognize that.

“We’re both looking to use the yearbook as a tool to commemorate,” Keane said. “In 50 years when someone picks up the yearbook, they get the sense that this was the year — this was the last year as a junior high school.”

 

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File photo

By Mallie Jane Kim

Three Village Central School District is on track to restructure its schools as planned in fall 2025, according to superintendent of schools Kevin Scanlon.

The district has been planning to move sixth grade up into the junior high schools to form middle schools and move ninth grade up to form a four-year high school.

Staff teams responsible for planning the changes have been working to prepare what will be needed as far as staffing, facilities, grading and curriculum to accommodate the changes and support kids’ mental health needs during the transition, Scanlon shared at a June 12 Board of Education meeting.

“We’re not done yet,” he said. “Next year is still going to be busy, but I think we’re way ahead of our schedule and on target to move forward.”

The district has already taken into account planning moving-up ceremonies and related activities for both fifth and sixth grades at the elementary schools, as well as eighth and ninth grades at the junior high schools, for the 2024-25 school year since all four grades will be changing schools at once.

One thing still under consideration is the possibility of repurposing one of the five elementary schools in tandem with the change, to address ongoing financial concerns, especially as the schools will no longer house sixth grade. Though the possibility has come up multiple times, the board has not made any substantive moves toward such a decision.

The district also must decide whether to change the names of any of the schools — for example, changing the junior high schools to middle schools.

Some parents and at least one staff member have tried to convince the district to hit pause on the restructuring plan, expressing worry that a change could risk losing what is good about the district. 

“Three Village school district has distinguished itself by providing top-notch opportunities for our students across diverse areas, while also fostering nurturing environments during pivotal transitional years,” wrote Gelinas Junior High guidance counselor Anthony Dattero in a March perspective piece in The Village Times Herald. “Our district has maintained its uniqueness for over 40 years, resisting the trend toward common middle school models adopted by other districts.”

District administrators have argued the new structure will bring Three Village into line with the way New York State standards are written and will provide sixth and ninth graders the benefits of the curriculum available in the upper schools.

“We are ready to move forward,” Scanlon said. “This is happening.”

Scanlon indicated the teams will continue to work over the summer and into the fall to make ready the transition. 

Start time complications

Secondary school start times after the restructuring are still up in the air, as there is no solution yet for making start times later, something parent advocates have been pushing for over several years, citing mental health and academic costs of having adolescents start school at such early hours. 

Ward Melville High School currently starts at 7:05 a.m. and the junior high schools start at 7:40.

“We have to do our very best to make sure we’re not moving grade nine up to an earlier start time, if we possibly can avoid it,” said trustee David McKinnon, referring to the fact that restructuring will bring ninth and sixth grade up to schools that start earlier than the schools that currently house them.

At issue is the tiered bussing system, which allows the district to get by on fewer buses than they would need if all the schools started at the same time. 

Each additional full-sized school bus added to the fleet would cost about $105,000, according to estimates by a transportation consultant, called in to help the district figure out the most efficient way to make a change with the lowest price tag. 

The consultant shared the results of his assessment at the meeting, but the board did not see an immediately clear solution. Some of the proposed scenarios had elementary schools starting as early as 7:20 a.m. or as late as 10:00 a.m., which would mean dismissal wouldn’t begin until 4:15 p.m.

“Any elementary school that ends later than it is now, is a problem,” said Karen Roughley, who is a longtime advocate of later secondary start times. She added that the early start times would also be a problem. 

“The whole point of us moving our high school kids is that we don’t want them there so early and waiting for the school bus when it’s dark,” she said. “I’m not going to have my elementary kindergarteners standing in the dark waiting to get on a bus.” 

Some of the proposed scenarios would require adding six new buses to the fleet.

Board members indicated they would continue to work with the consultant to fine-tune his results into realistic proposals they can lay out for the community, possibly in September to make a decision by October.

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Shaorui Li and Stanley Bak congratulate each other after winning seats on the Three Village board of education. Photo by Mallie Kim

By Mallie Jane Kim

Three Village voters reelected the two incumbent board of education members and, in a close race for third, selected Stanley Bak to finish out a one-year term that was up for grabs.

The 3,280 residents who voted also accepted the district’s $236.1 million budget for 2024-25, with 65% approval (2,140-1,140).

As district officials tabulated results from each area of town on screen during the May 21 board meeting, it was a nail-biter for Bak and fellow candidate Amitava Das, who were neck and neck. In the end, Bak won the seat by just 5 votes — 1,688 to 1,683.

Bak said he is relieved, but also grateful the campaign was so civil. The two-week campaign saw a collegial rapport between the four candidates, all of whom spoke highly of the slate of people willing to volunteer to serve the community.

“I think that reflects very strongly on Three Village,” Bak said, adding that he’s ready to start working on the goals he stated during the campaign, including fiscal sustainability, later secondary school start times and enforcement of the district’s cell phone policy. 

“We’ve done the campaign part, and now the hard part comes because we have to do the work,” he said.

And Bak may get a chance sooner than he anticipated. At the meeting, district officials realized that since he is filling a currently vacant seat left empty by a board member who had to resign for personal reasons, his term may begin immediately. They planned to consult the district’s lawyer to seek out an answer, though one was not available by press time.

Shaorui Li, with 1,976 votes, and Susan Rosenzweig, with 1,970 votes, easily recaptured their seats for another term. 

“If I can serve and be useful to the community, I’m more than happy to continue,” Rosenzweig said after the results were certified. “I think it’s a really productive board, and we’ve done really good work.”

For her part, Li, who spoke during the campaign about protecting the extracurriculars the district provides, was excited to be reelected but already looking to the difficult job the board has ahead of it. 

“We still want to support extra programs, but with the budget, it’s always a balance,” she said. “It’s going to be tough, but with support from the community, we’re confident with it.”

2024 school budgets, propositions and candidates results:

Three Village Central School District:

Budget Vote:

Yes: 2,140

No: 1,140

Board of education election: elect three, third highest gets one-year term.

Shaorui Li – 1,976 

Susan Rosenzweig – 1,970

Stanley Bak – 1,688

Amitava Das – 1,683

 

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