The Port Washington School Board elections and budget vote are today, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Weber Middle School all-purpose room. The proposed budget carries a tax-levy increase of 0.80 percent, which is within the allowable tax levy cap for 2016-17. Also being voted on is Proposition 2, for the sale of land inside the Sands Point Preserve owned by the district. The 4.6 acres of land was appraised at $2 million. If approved by voters, the board of education will be authorized to accept offers on the property. Any sale of the land will be used to reduce the tax levy in subsequent years. The four candidates competing for three open spots are Emily Beys and David Sattinger, as well as incumbents Christina Nadolne and Karen Sloan. They are competing for the two opening seats currently held by Nadolne and Sloan as well as for one seat vacated by a trustee who resigned. The full-term seats are for three years, and the uncompleted term is for one. None of the seats are salaried.
Emily Beys
Emily Beys has held many leadership positions, including HSA copresident at Schreiber, copresident of the Port Washington Parents’ Council, copresident of the Weber HSA, membership vice president Weber HSA, Greek School Board copresident at Archangel Michael Greek Language Institute and PTA copresident at Archangel Michael Greek Language Institute. If elected, one of Beys’ goals will be to find better ways to communicate and work with our state officials to decrease our mandated expenses. Another goal will be to more effectively communicate with the entire community what these mandates are. Over the years, Beys has had numerous conversations with community members that have great ideas about eliminating programs or making changes that simply cannot take place because of the unfunded mandates. Beys would like to continue to look for creative ways to get our school district extra funding. Beys has spearheaded efforts to educate voters in the Port Washington School District on matters relating to the success of the schools and its students including, but not limited to, the school district budget. She has acted as the school district’s go-to person for assisting families and children in need by organizing the district’s community Coat Drive, Spring Clothing Drive and Holiday Drive. She’s communicated parent concerns to school district administration and community leaders by sitting on various committees, including the Safety and Substance Abuse Committee and Budget Committee. She has also supervised parent interview teams for the selection of senior school administrators.
Christina Nadolne
Christina Nadolne is a proud trustee for the Port Washington Board of Education. She has lived in Port since 1999, first renting on Manhasset Isle, and then moving to the New Salem area. She is married to Mark Nadolne, a dentist in midtown, and has two boys: Jonathan (9th grade at Schreiber) and Kevin (8th grade at Weber).
She grew up in Albany and attended SUNY Albany, where she received a BS in biology in 1993. She moved to Philadelphia for four years and attended The Community College of Philadelphia and received AAS in Dental Hygiene (1998). She and her husband moved back to New York in 1998, and to Port Washington in 1999. She also received a MEd in curriculum and instruction design in 2007 from American Intercontinental University. She works as a dental claims manager and volunteers for many organizations. Over the years she has volunteered for: Parent Resource Center, American Red Cross, Port Washington Soccer Club (served on the board, currently the field coordinator), Salem HSA (served on several committees, the board and as copresident for two years), Salem Compact Committee, Weber Compact Committee, Weber HSA (helping on committees), St. Peter’s Religious Education, USO, JFK Airport and The Ed. Foundation (one year on the advisory board). She teaches preschool dental hygiene presentations locally.
During her three years on the BOE, she has attended many conferences on behalf of the board and has lobbied in Albany and on Long Island all three years. She has served on all the board committees—two years on the policy committee, three years on budget, a half year on curriculum (taking the place of Bill Hohauser), one year on audit and one year on the newly formed Legislative Committee. This year, she will be going to Washington, DC, to lobby for education in June. This year, she received a Certificate of Mastery from the New York State School Boards Association. In her free time, you can find her on a soccer field with her boys or rowing with the adult program of Port Rowing.
David Sattinger
David Sattinger has been a Port Washington resident since 2004. He is a proud parent of an 8th grader at Weber Middle School. He graduated from Roslyn High School in 1981. He received a BA in political science from Binghamton University in 1985. Professionally, he is in garment sales and production. His work with nonprofit organizations includes: Citizen Action of California, California League of Conservation Voters, NY Community Action Network and Citizen Action of NY. He was also a PYA volunteer baseball coach from 2007-13 and a member of the volunteer Port Baseball Booster Club.
Sattinger would like to work to better manage the finances of the district. According to Sattinger, “the current board has not delivered a balanced budget in years and this has landed the district on the State Comptroller’s list of districts susceptible to fiscal stress.
The board, while made up of well-meaning people, has operated with a stunning lack of transparency. Virtually all votes are unanimous, with decisions that are discussed in executive session, behind closed doors. Therefore, the community doesn’t know how each board member has represented them on these issues. The community has become polarized. We need to come together to create a realistic long-term financial plan for this district. I will bring an open, honest and independent voice that is desperately needed solve these issues. I will push for all board and committee meetings to be streamed and hosted for review on the district’s website.”
Karen Sloan
Karen Sloan has a passion for serving the community of Port Washington, where she has lived with her family for the past 20 years. She is committed to helping others, both within the school district and throughout the greater community, and serves as a consummate model of volunteerism. Sloan is in her seventh year as president of the BOE, having been an officer on the BOE for eight of the nine years of her service. A strong leader and consensus builder, she has maintained a steady course for the school district during challenging times. As the vice president of development for The Ed. Foundation, she has successfully raised funds while significantly increasing the visibility of the organization. Sloan was recognized for her contributions to the foundation as the honoree at the 11th Anniversary Gala in 2013. She is a former president of Parents’ Council and the Guggenheim PTA and has held numerous volunteer positions during and even after her children’s years in the Port schools. She has served on the board of the Sandsport/Shoshana Chapter of Hadassah for many years, devoting herself to fundraising for cancer research, and was the Myrtle Wreath Award Recipient. One of Sloan’s proudest achievements is her hands-on effort to ensure the safety of the children of the community through the work of the Safety and Substance Abuse Task Force, which she’s cochaired for the past eight years. Sloan has served as a member of the school district’s Emergency Preparedness Committee, which oversees current and future plans ensuring the safety of all of our students and staff. She also serves on the board of the Mildred and Sydney Edelstein Foundation, which funds education and research in the fields of science and technology.
Born and raised in Great Neck, Sloan is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin, where she met her husband, Todd. Their two daughters, Jessie and Ricki, are also Wisconsin alumnae. Sloan is known throughout the community for her unique ability to bring people together for a common cause. She is constantly seeking ways to improve the experiences of students in the Port Washington School District while also helping those in need outside the schools.
When she sprang to action immediately after Hurricane Sandy to “adopt” the devastated Oceanside School District by organizing a large-scale supply drive, it was another example of Sloan’s ability to coordinate people and resources and direct them in a most efficient way. Her contagious enthusiasm for each project is one of the many reasons for her track record of success.
