—By William Hornberger
On Monday May 4, I attended the Mineola District Council-sponsored Meet the Candidate night. I specifically wanted to find out about Mark Swensen and Joy Renner’s vision for the Mineola School District. I heard several times over from Swensen and Renner that saving money responsibly to address our crumbling buildings was a bad idea and that striving to be innovative and attempting to be a leader via technology was too challenging for our staff to handle.
I disagree. As a taxpayer, I don’t want the district to fund projects with bonds and as a former Trustee I know we have the dedicated staff that can handle the ever changing landscape of new technology. At one point, Mrs. Renner made a statement suggesting that Mr. Widman’s attendance to board of education meetings was not enough of a reason to consider him for trustee.
Again, I disagree. Mr. Widman’s seven year attendance to board of education meetings as a concerned taxpayer showed me he is wholly dedicated to understanding how board policy and procedures impacts the community. But what disappointed me most was the statement made by Mr. Swensen related to the Mineola Middle Schools selection as an Apple School of Distinction. The statement implied that the hard work and tireless effort of the middle school’s administration, teachers and support staff wasn’t the reason that middle school earned the recognition.
Worst yet, it implied that our students enthusiasm and passion for learning new things had nothing to do with winning such a prestigious award. Thank you to all the candidates for giving the community a choice on Tuesday May 19. My choice was just made easier and I will be voting for Trustee Napolitano and Brian Widman.
