With only three seats up for ballot, five Syosset parents’ names will be on the ballot for the Board of Education election later this month.
Incumbents Lynn Abramson, Jack Ostrick and Thomas Rotolo are running for re-election, while newcomers Inna Choi and David Ginsburg have placed their bids for first-time election.
Ostrick, Choi and Ginsburg are running alongside each other this election cycle and are hosting “coffee chats” to speak with the community until the vote. Their next coffee chats will be on Thursday, May 8, and Saturday, May 17, at Hilltop Kitchen and Stillwell Park, respectively.
Abramson and Rotolo are running together and will have coffee chats on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 17, both at Mongos Coffee. On Friday, May 18, Rotolo will have a coffee chat at Stillwell Park and Abramson will have one at the Syosset Woodbury Community Park.
The community will vote for the school budget and board trustees on Tuesday, May 20.
Lynn Abramson
Abramson, a longtime Syosset resident and Board of Education incumbent, initially ran for the board in 2022 on the platform of fiscal responsibility, curriculum growth, athletics and facility improvements, transparency and community. Abramson has served on many boards and committees, including the Midway Jewish Center, and has volunteered with the Syosset Parent Teachers Association.
“I am running because I want to see Syosset continue its path of growth and success,” she said in a 2022 campaign statement.
According to Abramson and Rotolo’s shared Facebook campaign, the two are running to ensure student experience, fiscal responsibility and community outreach.
Efforts to reach Abramson for additional information were unavailing.
Jack Ostrick
Ostrick, who was initially elected to the board in 2022, said he has lived in the district for over 15 years and has two children enrolled in Syosset schools. He said he has over 25 years of experience in finance, including banking, research, trading and portfolio management.
Ostrick said in the three years he has served on the board, there have been improvements, including the passage of the facilities improvement bond, the addition of mental health supports and management of the tax levy by finding additional sources of income, among others.
“These successes are a good start, but I remain passionately committed to the next series of improvements we can make,” he said.
Ostrick said that in addition to his term as trustee, he has served on the school’s finance advisory committee for eight years, coached the Syosset 135 Soccer Club for 10 years, served as board member and president of the Hunting Hill Civic Association and has served on multiple PTA committees.
Ostrick said if re-elected, he will focus on preparing for enrollment growth, protecting the school’s programs, supporting every student and preserving local control over policy.
Thomas Rotolo
Rotolo initially ran for the board in 2019 on the platform of fiscal order, accountability and educational excellence. A longtime resident, Rotolo brings experience in the financial sector as a CPA and CFO, his campaign’s Facebook said.
“I’m excited to contribute to moving Syosset School District forward,” he said in a post after his first election.
According to Abramson and Rotolo’s shared Facebook campaign, the two are running to ensure student experience, fiscal responsibility and community outreach.
Efforts to reach Rotolo for additional information were unavailing.
Inna Choi
Choi has lived in the district for 11 years and has two children enrolled in Syosset schools. Choi said she is currently a local restaurant owner, but has prior experience as a consumer advocate attorney, where she helped individuals in cases of fraud and unfair business practices.
Choi said she is an active community member in the school community, as well as the community at large. Within the district, she said she has served on the Walt Whitman PTA, Harry B Thompson PTSA, SEPTA and various district committees, including the anti-bias task force, the special allergy committee and the diversity and inclusivity task force.
Outside of the school community, Choi said she served as an active executive board member at the Korean Friends of Syosset for eight years and a “dedicated member” of the Arumdaun Presbyterian Church in Bethpage for over 30 years.
Choi said she will focus on four improvements to the school board, if elected, including fiscal sensibility, enrollment growth preparation, district and community dialogue and student growth and belonging.
“I bring a combination of legal expertise, financial literacy and collaborative leadership. My legal and research background helps me scrutinize budgets and complex contracts with clarity, while my years of PTA work taught me how powerful it is when families and schools work together,” she said.
David Ginsburg
Ginsburg said he has “always believed in giving back to the community.” Ginsburg said he served on the Syosset School District Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Finance for three years and coached the Syosset soccer club for over six years.
Ginsburg, a senior portfolio manager, has lived in the district for 11 years and has two children in Syosset schools. He graduated from neighboring Jericho High School.
“With my background in finance and deep connection to Syosset, I think I can really help the district tackle some of the big challenges ahead, especially when it comes to spending wisely and supporting all our students,” Ginsburg said.
Ginsburg said in his role on the district’s finance committee, he has contributed to discussions about investing the district’s reserve funds, which have resulted in almost $2 million in additional interest income last year.
He said he has four top priorities: increasing college admissions, easing the tax burden, fostering collaboration between the board and community and supporting students.
Ginsburg said that by increasing college guidance, he hopes to ease the district’s “high-pressure, competitive culture.” He also said that by spending smarter, the district would be able to lower the tax levy on local families.
