The Island Trees School District Board of Education is set to re-elect two candidates this year.
Vinny Papandrea and Larry Ortolani are both running for re-election unopposed. Papandrea has been a member of the board since 2019 and Ortolani since 2022.
Papandrea, who moved into the district 19 years ago, has a son who is currently a freshman at Island Trees High School. He has been serving on the board since his son was in third grade.
Papandrea’s wife is a member of the PTA and PTSA and has served in a variety of roles.
Papandrea is the director of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. He has also worked in education in the SUNY, private and vocational schools sectors for over 20 years.
Papandrea said his main goals for his upcoming term are to improve student educational outcomes and support teachers and staff.
“I wish to continue to advocate for resources and professional development to help teachers and staff succeed,” he said.
He also said he hopes to continue to roll out new, innovative programs that support students with special interests, such as the arts or STEM.
Ortolani has been a member of the Island Trees community since 2004. He said he moved to raise his family within the district. Ortolani has two children. His son graduated from Island Trees High School in 2023 and his daughter is a junior in high school.
Ortolani’s wife served on the PTA and is the vice president of the Island Trees chapter of Dollars for Scholars. The organization works with the school board and PTA to accommodate the community’s needs.
When not working for the board, Ortolani is a retired police officer who runs a company that advocates for mental health services for first responders.
Ortolani said he is proud of the board’s work over the last three years.
“We are in a challenging time. Budgeting is difficult from a school board perspective because of a late state budget, which leaves us unaware of what funding the district will receive,” Ortolani said. “With that said, we have put together another very reasonable budget staying within the tax cap, serving the needs of our students and balancing those against the needs of the community at large is of paramount importance.”
Community members will vote on the board candidates and the district’s budget on Tuesday, May 20. The board will reorganize in July.
