—By Cliff Datys
I have known Christine Napolitano for a number of years and have seen her tireless work firsthand for the Mineola students, school community and taxpayers. She has been at the forefront of a very challenging time for our community.
Due to a slow and steady decline in student enrollment, Ms. Napolitano along with fellow Mineola school board trustees and administration, undertook the very necessary and less-than-popular task of reorganizing the school district in an effort to preserve student programs long-term while ensuring that the Mineola Board of Education operates in an efficient and cost-effective manner for the school district taxpayers.
It was a very difficult transition for our community to accept and hard transition for the board to make. It has not been an easy decision, but over time it has offered significant tax savings to school taxpayers, while maintaining programs which has Mineola recognized as one of the top school districts in New York State. Mineola schools are known to be on the cutting edge of technology and a leading example for other school districts to look to and emulate.
That is not to say that everything is perfect. Long Islanders shoulder far too great a tax burden, and indeed we live in very difficult times. There are many serious issues facing the education of New York students in general and Mineola specifically. There is massive residential development going on in the village of Mineola, with thousands of tax-abated apartments being developed.
For the first time in a generation, Mineola will see a spike in our student enrollment. How many students will enter our school district is unknown. Who will pay for these students education?
You and I will foot the bill for potentially hundreds of new Mineola students. I have attended the Mineola Village development hearings and I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Napolitano at each and every hearing fighting for the Mineola school taxpayers. That’s the type of person we need representing us. Someone who is willing to fight for what is right even if the fight is not very popular.
The Mineola school community needs serious and proven leadership. That is what you get with Christine Napolitano and it’s why I wholeheartedly endorse her re-election to the Mineola School Board.
