Three Village Central School District Superintendent Kevin Scanlon released a letter on March 21 informing families of incidents of antisemitism in the schools and assured them that the district is going to tackle the issue.
“There have recently been incidents of antisemitism in our schools,” the letter reads. “We believe that there is a larger issue occurring that we need to address.”
The letter suggests that a conglomeration of incidents is leading the district to initiate programs and curriculum changes: “Although some individuals may perceive these incidents as isolated, we cannot afford to take them lightly.”
Rabbi Aaron Benson of the North Shore Jewish Center said he has been in touch with some families whose children have been affected by antisemitism with Three Village middle schools. Benson said his understanding is that no major altercation occurred, but that on one or multiple occasions, students made an antisemitic remark that was heard by several other students, including Jewish students.
“As I understand it, the comments weren’t particularly directed at anybody but there were Jewish students present,” he said. “But also comments of that sort should not be tolerated regardless if a Jewish person is present.”
Rabbi Joshua Gray from Temple Isaiah emailed Scanlon after receiving the letter. Scanlon invited him to the school for a conversation, following through on the district’s commitment to “work together as a community” as written in the letter.
The conversation went “very well” according to Gray, and he left the meeting feeling assured that the district is addressing the issue with consideration and care.
“They are being very proactive,” he said. “It is good when people call it by its name and say it as it is.” Benson, too, was glad that the district acknowledged the issue and is taking an active role in combating hate speech.
“These are all the things I want them to be doing and I am thankful that they are,” he said. Benson, who has been an ordained rabbi for over 20 years, said he likes “to believe that there is just simple ignorance combined with perhaps a desire to be shocking or irreverent” but that there is “a stronger presence of antisemitic commentary that is out there and trickles down to kids.”
Both rabbis live in the district and have children. They said that they have noticed an uptick in antisemitism since Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7, 2023.
Stefanie Werner, whose child attends a Three Village school, said that her child had experienced antisemitism over five years ago. Glad that the village acknowledged the issue, but upset that antisemitism is still present enough to warrant a letter, Werner called the letter “a double-edged sword.”
“I hate that it has gotten to this point,” she continued. “We’ve gotten this letter and we don’t exactly know what has happened.”
Werner said she would like to see more discussion integrated into the curriculum, a step Scanlon plans to take, according to the letter. Werner said that it is clear that preexisting programs, like assemblies, talks or electives, aren’t enough.
“We have to teach them that it is not okay,” she said. “They don’t see the line.”
Ever since the October incident when a loaded gun found its way into Ward Melville High School — a student’s father having left it in a backpack identical to the student’s, which the student accidentally brought to school — parents have been vocal about a need for increased security. In response, at the Oct. 23 board of education meeting, Security Coordinator Jack Blaum said that the district would be considering AI security technology, and at the Jan. 22 meeting, the plan to use ZeroEyes was expounded upon.
ZeroEyes software works by connecting to a school’s pre-existing security cameras. The AI analyzes thousands of images per second, and if it detects what it thinks is a firearm, the image is sent to a ZeroEyes technician to review. If the technician verifies that the image is accurate, he or she notifies the school administrators and local law enforcement, all in a process expected to take 3-5 seconds. Three Village will be the first Long Island school district to implement this system, where it will operate in all school buildings as well as the North Country Administration Building, and will cost the district $112,000.
At the October meeting, Blaum touted the AI system as a more efficient solution than metal detectors, which he said by contrast would take more time to install, need to be located at every door as well as at outside and require armed staff day and night. At the January meeting, Superintendent Kevin Scanlon said the ZeroEyes system will provide “24/7/365 coverage” and won’t require the district to purchase more cameras than normal, as additional cameras are already added each year.
“If even part of a weapon is spotted with this system,” Scanlon said, “the notification goes in. And we’re talking a matter of seconds, from when it’s viewed and when we’re notified.” He also said the ZeroEyes system fits with all present software and hardware in the district — a concern which was relevant in Philadelphia last year, when Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority learned the cameras used for their ZeroEyes pilot program weren’t fully compatible. According to Scanlon, it is expected that other Suffolk districts will follow suit and use ZeroEyes, with BOCES being involved.
The ZeroEyes system does have limits, as it can only detect guns that are within a camera’s view. ZeroEyes Chairman and CEO Mike Lahiff said, “Good security comes in layers. Do I think we can really help in certain situations? Absolutely. But are we the end all be all? No.”
Three Village’s other layers currently include security guards, sign-in procedures, license readers, background checks on all employees and additional measures that are kept confidential to avoid counteraction. The school district is also considering arming their security guards, though it is hotly debated among parents and community members whether this would help or hinder school safety, with hundreds having taken up each side of the argument via online petitions.
Board member David McKinnon, sharing a study from the American Medical Association sent to the BOE by a parent, said the study found the rate of death was 2.83 times greater in schools with an armed guard than without. The study attributes this to school shooters actively being suicidal, resulting in armed guards acting as a potential incentive rather than a deterrent.
“The evidence,” McKinnon said, “is it’s not clear that having armed guards is going to help very much. But I’m not completely convinced it would hurt either.” He suggested polling school employees, parents and students on their views. “However this plays out, it would be better if everyone felt they had some say in this decision.”
The New York State Education Department released data on enrollment, New York State Assessments and Regents scores. Assistant to the Superintendent and Chief Information Officer Laura Pimentel dissected the data in Three Village schools in a presentation on Jan. 22 to the Three Village Central School District.
Enrollment has decreased to 5,433 students: 75 students less than 2024 and 1,296 students less than 2015. Elementary school enrollment has been consistent throughout the past few years while middle and high schools continue to decrease.
Despite this, demographic data reveals an increase in English language learners and economically disadvantaged students.
Elementary and middle school students have somewhat recovered from the post-pandemic chronic absenteeism spike. Of high school students 7.2% are chronically absent: a higher percentage than the previous four years.
If a student misses two days per month, they would be considered chronically absent. The high percentage of chronically absent students occurs concurrent with the increase in economically disadvantaged students and demand for mental health services, Scanlon noted.
“People look at Three Village and think of a North Shore district doing very well academically. We do have this component that has really created some needs budgetarily and from what we put in the supports,” Superintendent Kevin Scanlon said.
“We aren’t data-driven because of the opt-out movement and we have to put things in place that are going to give us that data so we can make some decision about our instructional program,” Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Brian Biscari said.
NYS assessments
NYS assessments are offered to students from grades 3 through 8, but amid the opt-out movement that has swept Long Island school districts in recent years, no meaningful analysis can be surmised from the data.
“These assessments help us evaluate the effectiveness of our instructional programs against the state standards, which is something we haven’t been able to do in a quote some time at the elementary and junior high school level,” Pimentel said.
Of students who opted out,36.4% were from the English assessments, 35.2% from math and 34.3% from science. This contrasts with the federal government requirement that 95% of students take the test. The percentage of student participation is over 20% below the state average in both math and English Language Arts.
The assessments are no longer representative of teacher performance and have no impact on students’ grades.
“In the absence of that we had to put in other benchmarks…about how we are able to compare students to one another in their grade level and from cohort to cohort as they are coming through, so that is another increase in the district because we have to supplement for what parents aren’t taking that is free with what the state offers,” Scanlon said. “The data is important to us as we try to place students appropriately and give them services appropriately.”
Bond referendum
Jeffery Carlson, interim deputy superintendent and head of the business department discussed funding for district expenses. The district is considering a bond proposal to pay for the $125 million in construction expenses and projects.
The list of construction projects is aspirational, not realistic. Carlson said that while all the project will be listed, they do not intend to complete them all.
“Sixty-six percent of the cost comes back to us in building aid. Whatever the cost of the project is, the state is paying two-thirds of the cost. And it isn’t only on the construction cost, it is on the interest as well,” Carlson said.
The bond would mean a $284 tax increase every year for 15 years, which would be the length of the bond. Scanlon said that safety and security projects — “things we must get done” — would be the priority while other projects like air conditioning for elementary school gyms and cafeterias could wait.
Armed guards
Following a presentation Jan. 8 reviewing the past security measures and future options by Scanlon, the board discussed the possibility of arming guards. The district could arm guards outside the schools or inside the schools.
Before 2012, secondary schools within the district only had one guard. Since the Sandy Hook shooting, the district added over 500 security cameras, vestibules, sign-in procedures, license readers, employee background checks and a head of security with a background in law enforcement.
This year, the board also added an AI weapons detection technology called Zero Eyes. Scanlon noted that the district adds cameras every year, so the new tech does not impact the number of cameras added in a year.
Since many security guards possess the background and clearance to be armed, the district could easily arm guards without having to undergo significant staff changes.
“I would like to poll parents and students. As a board member who bears no risk whatsoever, I feel that I personally should have very little say in this,” said trustee David McKinnon. “I am happy to follow the lead of the major stakeholders here.”
A science teacher at R.C. Murphy Jr. High School in theThree Village Central School District is now on leave after posting an incendiary political post on Facebook.
The teacher, Pamila Pahuja, wrote in the post, “To all Trump supporters – hope the next time you take a drink it doesn’t swallow right and you go get help but no one is there and you slowly wither away while struggling to gasp and you suffer long.”
The post has sparked outrage from some parents. Others feel Pahuja did nothing wrong.
“I always like to put the shoe on the other foot,” former teacher and Hauppauge resident Dan Simon said, noting that teachers still have the freedom of speech. He added, however, that what she posted was a mistake.“Should she be doing that? Probably not.”
A father of a middle-school child, Doug said, “Just saying that about another person – it’s not right.” His child does not go to a district school.
He said that middle-schoolers are still learning right from wrong, and to “say stuff like that, you are kind of brainwashing them. It gets them thinking differently.”
Litigator Andrew Lieb said that there is a case to be made under labor law 201-d, which protects against discrimination for participating in certain activities including political activities outside of working hours and off the employer’s premises. Lieb has worked on similar cases pertaining to teachers.
“That is a hyperbole that wasn’t a specific threat,” Lieb said. “As long as she was off working hours off working premises, she is allowed to do this stuff. She is working for the government and the government can’t block speech.”
“Imagine all these teachers wanting to speak and not being able to have a voice,” he said. “That’s what this does and that’s why these laws are so important.
Pahuja also wrote, “To all my friends and their families worried, stay safe. America is no longer the land of the free – we are prisoners of the governments. Only a matter of time before they come for all women. Welcome to gilead, it’s on the way.”
On Jan. 26, the district released a letter to parents notifying them of Pahuja’s absence.
“Please be assured that we have taken steps to ensure a smooth transition and continued high-quality instruction in science. A qualified and certified science teacher will be assigned to your child’s class in her absence,” the letter, signed by Principal Michael Jantzen, reads.
The Three Village BOE and the Three Village Teachers Association would not comment on matters of personnel.
Ward Melville High School students put on a production of “How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying.” Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students put on a production of “How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying.” Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students put on a production of “How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying.” Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students put on a production of “How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying.” Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students put on a production of “How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying.” Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School student actors and musicians impressed audiences over three live performances of the production “How to Succeed in Business Without ReallyTrying.” Students took to the stage for the comedic musical performance while the pit orchestra helped set the tone throughout and the stage crew established the many scenes. Audiences watched Pierrepont Finch try and climb the corporate ladder while faced with the challenges of office-life, including competitive co-workers, powerful executives, coffee addictions and romance.
Ward Melville High School. File photo by Greg Catalano
By Mallie Jane Kim
Three Village Central School District officials shared the latest details in their plan to move ninth grade out of the junior high schools to create a four-year program at Ward Melville starting in the 2025-26 school year, in line with state and national norms.
The presentation at a Sept. 25 board meeting comes after more than two years of discussions over restructuring the district and after more than a year of planning.
“Everyone’s been putting their heads together to make this the best possible transition that it can be,” said Brian Biscari, assistant superintendent for educational services, who also touted the change as providing ninth graders access to additional courses outside the core academic subjects. “The ninth graders moving up to the high school are going to have more options for electives as well as activities they can participate in.”
The district also plans to move sixth grade from the elementary schools to the junior high schools, though an update on those plans will be forthcoming at a future board meeting.
In the presentation to the board, Ward Melville Principal John Holownia laid out some specifics: Core curriculum will remain the same for ninth graders, but electives will expand significantly. Currently the junior high schools offer nine half-year electives and eight full-year electives to ninth graders. Those numbers will jump to 29 and 13, respectively, with some of those electives reserved for ninth grade only.
“We’ll make sure that we have places to go to match their interests,” Holownia said, adding that electives will be contingent on budget and student interest, as is currently the process at the high school. “It’s not a guarantee that we run all of these classes year over year.”
Swimming as a part of physical education will continue to start in 10th grade, and there will be no change in course availability for grades 10-12, outside of the usual course review process.
Ward Melville staff plans to double transition supports and events, like hosting two separate orientation nights and new student walkthroughs.
Not everyone is thrilled about the upcoming changes. Some area parents have expressed on social media and in conversations around the district that the process has felt opaque. As recently as the public start-time forums, some expressed they did not even know the change had already been decided.
“It feels rushed,” wrote district parent Joanna Zalewski in an email read aloud during the public comment section of the board meeting. “We still lack information on crucial aspects such as building utilization, how the high school will handle the increased student population, and what specific academic or social benefits this change is supposed to bring.”
Zalewski said alignment with norms is not a compelling reason and called for delaying the move. “There is no state mandate requiring this change,” she wrote. “Nor is there one from the community.”
Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon has long relied on the outcome of a 2023 survey as his guide for spearheading this change. The survey, which had more than 6,000 responses from among parents, staff, students and the broader community, indicated the majority of each stakeholder group preferred to move up sixth and ninth grades.
“This is going to create some tremendous opportunities for our students,” Scanlon said at the meeting. “This is going to put them on more of a par with their peers in other districts that they are competing with for positions, eventually, in colleges or the workforce.”
Flood damage to Nassakeag
More than a month after the “once-in-a-century” Aug. 19 storm, the district is still working on rehabilitating damage to Nassakeag Elementary School and finding ways to prevent future issues.
The school building itself sits lower than its surrounding land, and a loading dock essentially funneled more than 160,000 gallons of water straight into the boiler room, according to Interim Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Carlson’s presentation at the board meeting.
Electrical panels and boiler controls were all submerged, and the auditorium as well as some classrooms had flooding.
“It was awful,” said Carlson, who praised the team of people who spent hours working to get the building ready for the start of the school year on Sept. 2. “We had industrial-sized dehumidifiers throughout the building for days and days, and a whole brigade of mop buckets. It was a mess.”
Initial estimates indicated the building would need a month of cleanup before it was fit for students, but district staff — who were honored with certificates at the start of the board meeting — worked overtime.
“If it wasn’t for the efforts of all these folks, we would not have had the building up and running in about a week and a half,” Scanlon said. “So we were able to open on time.”
The district plans to replace boiler controls “in the not-too-distant future” and to install watertight flood doors to prevent future water damage, leveraging state building aid and a FEMA claim to pay for it, according to Carlson.
One lingering mystery, possibly related to August’s flooding, was the failure of the concrete slab under two Nassakeag classrooms. School staff recently discovered the floor in those rooms had dropped down slightly.
District staff dug next to the foundations and discovered a void in that area. Carlson, who assured the board the issue was not structural and did not impact the walls or the ceiling, put forward several theories of how such a void could have formed under the 60-year-old school: Perhaps the building was built over felled trees, which rotted, or dirt washed away in an underground flow. Maybe the original builders didn’t compact the dirt enough, or the unusual April 5 earthquake with a light aftershock shifted the ground.
“We’re investigating,” Carlson said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to figure out exactly what caused that so we can prevent it from happening again, and see if there was anywhere else where this is maybe looming.”
In the meantime, students have been moved to alternate classrooms, and architects are working on a way to restore the concrete slab to make those rooms usable again.
Ward Melville High School. File photo by Greg Catalano
Additional transportation costs would come from within the budget
By Mallie Jane Kim
Will Three Village secondary students get 35 minutes more sleep?
Most parents who showed up to comment publicly at school district-sponsored forums Sept. 10 and 17 believe they should.
“This is basic biology,” said one parent, who identified herself as a neurologist and pointed to scientific studies on adolescent sleep needs. She said allowing teens to sleep later impacts more than academics and test scores. “Mental health improves, physical health improves, there are less motor vehicle accidents from those seniors,” she said. “It really seems like a very small price to pay for all of those advantages.”
The school board is considering a proposal to shift Ward Melville High School’s start time to 7:40 a.m., from 7:05, and push the junior high schools back from 7:40 a.m. to 8:15. Under the plan, Minnesauke Elementary School would join the three schools that start at 9:25 a.m., and Nassakeag would stay at 8:40.
The district is gathering feedback from all residents and employees through an online form to inform the school board’s decision. Each household in the district was sent a flier with a QR link to the form.
The proposed schedule requires nine additional buses and will add an estimated $1.4 million to the transportation budget, based on the district’s 2024-25 contract with the bus company, which is subject to change. Those funds, however, will have to come from within the existing overall budget, which for this school year is $236 million. Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon has made it clear there is no will within the district to go above the state-mandated limits on increasing taxes year over year.
“We don’t have an unlimited pot of money,” Scanlon said. “We do not want to exceed the tax cap for any of these issues.”
The superintendent noted that the district has already been working to tighten its belt anywhere possible, including a $770,000 savings from restructuring the administration and about $3 million from retirements last year.
At the forums, some parents pointed out that in the context of a $236 million budget, $1.4 million amounts to about half a percent.
“I can’t think of anything we could do that is this easy for a million dollars that could benefit the kids this much,” commented one parent on Sept. 17.
District officials have publicly acknowledged they believe early school start times are a major problem for adolescents but have pointed to issues of transportation logistics and related costs in delaying a change.
Scanlon, who mentioned about 10% of high school students chronically miss first period, presented a detailed background of efforts to make secondary school start times later, as well as the rationale for trying to do so.
“The issue for us is the way the schools are structured,” Scanlon explained, referring to the staggered school start times that allow the district to use far fewer buses than if all the schools started around the same time. “This is saving us money — if we change back to a different configuration, it’s going to cost us money.”
The current setup started in 2011, after the district adjusted start times to use fewer buses. For that effort, Three Village received a management efficiency grant from New York State paid out over three years and totaling $747,789, according to the district.
But some commenters said these early start times highlighted an equity issue within the district: Certain parents have the ability to drive their students to school in the morning, which isn’t possible for those who have to be at work early or do not have anyone to stay home with younger sleeping children.
“What we’re saying is the kids who have advantages — whether that be financial or their parents’ time — can sleep an extra half hour or 45 minutes and do better in school,” one woman argued. “And their mental health is more important than those kids who don’t have those advantages. That’s really troubling.”
Not all public commenters were against the early start times.
“I thought it was disciplined,” said a woman who identified herself as Karen and said she had two Three Village graduates and current student. She added that her son couldn’t compete as a track athlete because he was up too late at night, studying.
“If we had moved that start time up later, he would have stayed up even later,” she said. “I know in my household, it would not work.”
Others on social media and at the forums raised concerns about future transportation costs soaring due to the New York State mandate to electrify bus fleets in coming years, something Scanlon emphasized was out of the district’s control and an “unfunded mandate.”
Scanlon indicated that, as of the Sept. 17 meeting, about 200 people had participated in the online survey, and so far the opinions were varied. He encouraged every stakeholder to participate and let the school board hear their feedback.
“They read everything,” Scanlon assured audience members. “They will read every comment made by every community member, good, bad and indifferent.”
The online feedback form will be open until Sept. 30, and the board of education plans to discuss the issue in October.
From left, senior Sophia Anderson, AP art teacher Stefanie DiLorenzo, video
production teacher Chris Esser and senior Jeremiah Moody. Not pictured: Hannah Kravets
and Rafael Bennett.
Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District
Two Ward Melville seniors and two recent graduates were recently selected to have their work displayed in the prestigious All-American High School Film Festival.
Congratulations to seniors Sophia Anderson and Jeremiah Moody, and to Ward Melville High School alumni Rafael Bennett and Hannah Kravets.
The AAHSFF is the premier destination for talented high school filmmakers and media arts enthusiasts from around the world. The four students were chosen as Official Selections, which are films that will be screened at the festival from Oct. 18-20. Each year, thousands of films are submitted by student filmmakers from around the globe and the best are selected by a panel of judges as Official Selections. All Official Selections are eligible to be nominated for an award which will be announced on Oct. 20. The festival takes place each year in New York City.
Ward Melville High School. File photo by Greg Catalano
By Mallie Jane Kim
Four candidates are vying to serve on next year’s school board in Three Village Central School District. Terms are up for incumbents Shaorui Li and Susan Rosenzweig, who are both running to stay on the board. Newcomers Stanley Bak and Amitava Das have also thrown their hats in the ring.
In addition to the two full terms up for grabs, a third partial-term seat was left open by former board member Jennifer Solomon, after she resigned last summer for personal reasons. At the time, the board opted to wait until this election to fill her seat for the term’s final year, rather than spending additional money on a special election last fall.
Whoever earns the third highest number of votes will fill this one-year term.
The candidates, profiled below in alphabetical order, opened the two-week campaign season by introducing themselves at a May 6 Three Village Civic Association meeting.
Stanley Bak
Stanley Bak
Bak teaches computer science at Stony Brook University and runs a research lab investigating the safety of artificial intelligence, which he said involves budgeting and managing millions of dollars in funds.
He suggested the main issue facing the district today is financial.
“We need a long-term financial plan,” he said. “One that acknowledges that taxpayers exist and one that can sustainably provide excellent programs and services for our students.”
Bak, who was a member of the district’s cellphone committee last fall, praised the district’s recently strengthened policy, but added that its success hinges on enforcement.
He also pointed out that, though elementary schools comprise more than half the grade levels in the district, the board does not currently have representation from elementary families. His oldest child has started elementary school, with two others following.
“As a parent with three young children, I have a vested interest in the long-term health of all of our schools,” he said. “Representation matters. I will help bring this perspective to our board.”
Bak published information on his priorities at the website bakforboard.com and emphasizes that he is running independently and will not accept any funding from outside groups. He has received public support from the Residents for Responsible Spending Facebook group, and is a participant in the Three Village Parents Alliance.
Amitava Das
Amitava Das
Das, a parent of a junior high student in the district, said his experience in technology management has given him a firm foundation in communication, collaboration and compromise toward a shared goal of serving clients while being fiscally responsible.
“These are things from a business perspective that I hope I’m able to bring to this role,” said Das, who is an engineering manager at a major global technology firm. He indicated he hopes to “work with the staff, the teachers, the taxpayers, the parents — I hope to gain your input and your support and understand what your needs are.”
Das served on this year’s Budget Advisory Committee and volunteers as a computer science teacher for sixth through ninth grades with SchoolNova. He said by email that he previously served on the technical advisory board for Per Scholas, an organization that trains a diverse workforce in technology and helps connect newly-skilled talent to businesses.
He recognized the “tireless effort” of the teachers, administration and staff, but added that he’s also a taxpayer. “There’s a need to balance that aspect of it,” he said. “Are the dollars going toward the right programs, being spent in the right way to deliver the best product for our shareholders — which is us, the taxpayers in the district?”
Das, along with Li and Rosenzweig, is endorsed by the Three Village Teachers Association. He said in a phone call that he hopes to reimburse his portion of any campaign costs — typically, TVTA pays for advertising, including lawn signs and a postcard to each union member, past and present.
TVTA president Brian Pickford confirmed to TBR that this option is open to any candidate.
Shaorui Li
Shaorui Li
Li, also a district parent, has served on the school board since her election in 2021. She is an electrical engineer with 17 years of experience, including at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and is currently heading a microchip-development startup to advance the field of quantum computing.
She shared that she has given lectures in the elementary schools regarding NASA projects she was involved in, and has served as a mentor for Science Olympiad.
These STEM skills, she indicated, along with the leadership and management experience she’s gained throughout her career, are what she brings to the table. “I just want to contribute my analytical skills and my love of solving problems and engineering to the board,” she said.
Li praised the board’s efforts in gaining input from all stakeholders for the new cellphone policy as well as in fine tuning the Budget Advisory Committee based on feedback. “The intention is to have input from the community,” she said. “We actually keep changing how [the BAC] will be and probably going forward it will keep changing — the goal is to make it more effective.”
Li invited residents to reach out with questions about district policy to her or any board member, as she said she values understanding community concerns. “The role of the board member is not simply voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on personal preference,” she said. “As a board member, I would actively research … listen to our community and make decisions based on inputs from a broad range of resources.”
Susan Rosenzweig
Susan Rosenzweig
Rosenzweig, the current board president, was also elected in 2021. She said her background in radio and television news have served her well as a leader on the board. She pointed to her ability to approach situations with a neutral position — focusing on facts and data in decision making — as well as her ability to communicate thoughtfully and clearly.
“I believe these qualities have helped usher in a new era of openness with our community,” she said, adding the board has “a renewed rigor in thoroughly analyzing all of our decisions for their impacts not only on our staff and our students, but on the district’s fiscal health and our overall well-being.”
Rosenzweig has made a full-time job of volunteer opportunities related to her children’s education, including on the board of trustees at Play Groups preschool and as PTA president at all levels. She has also been a leader for Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts.
She called the district’s new cellphone policy “a good start,” but indicated the whole community needs to chip in to help kids — especially since students involved in advising the new policy recognized the distraction and pressure that comes with the current cellphone culture. “We’ve only got them for seven hours a day,” Rosenzweig said. “The rest of the 17 hours, we need help.”
Voting details
Voting will take place on May 21 at Ward Melville High School between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Early voting is also available this year, and information can be found on the district’s website on the Budget Information page under the Board of Education menu. A PTA-sponsored Meet the Candidates event at the high school is scheduled for May 9, at 7 p.m., and will be livestreamed.
Link to view Meet the Candidates event: https://www.youtube.com/live/o1Tos3A4wSQ?si=nmflK9MHH57onXJs.
As a school guidance counselor at Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School — for three decades now — and a parent whose children have thrived within our outstanding district, I feel compelled to share my concerns regarding the proposed reconfiguration orchestrated by our superintendent and voted upon by our board of education.
There are many reasons to doubt the motivation and the lack of details starting with why this move is necessary and why this monumental move is in our students’ best interests. The challenge to the district should be to prove “the why” in comparison to our current proven educational model. Our current model has served our students well, offering significant academic and social-emotional advantages that have stood the test of time.
The notion of transitioning to a common middle school model is, frankly, mind-boggling and irresponsible. 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 — sixth grade at the elementary level and ninth grade at the junior high school level.
Having actively participated in the superintendent’s public forums and committee sessions, I remain unable to find any compelling reason or explicit need to dismantle a system that has proven its effectiveness over the years.
Why fix what isn’t broken?
Our district has maintained its uniqueness for over 40 years, resisting the trend toward common middle school models adopted by other districts.
Despite the district’s efforts to gauge community sentiment through surveys, many — including myself — find these surveys incomplete and misleading.
The supposed cost-saving benefits of reconfiguration have also been debunked, with recent revelations indicating potential excessive costs for retrofitting the high school to accommodate an entire grade level.
More is not better if space is valued. Think about what happens if we were to add more people to a dance floor — creativity would likely decline and apologetic exchanges of “I’m sorry” or “Excuse me” or unpleasant looks would likely increase.
In an era where student vulnerability is heightened by social media and external influences, cramming more students into the high school environment seems counterintuitive to their well-being. It is imperative that we prioritize the best interests of our students above all else.
The district has failed to provide all stakeholders with clearly defined and transparent comparisons representing the pros, cons, trade-offs and other options that could enhance our current configuration.
Let us stand united in advocating for the preservation of what works, ensuring that our students continue to receive the exceptional education and support they deserve. Our students deserve our best so they can realize the best version of themselves.
