The Hicksville School District Board of Education has three candidates running for two positions.
Annette Beiner is the current board president, running unopposed for the position. Linda Imbriale is the current board secretary and is running against Faisal Mirza for the trustee position.
Beiner joined the board in January 2022 after filling a vacancy.
She has lived in Hicksville since 2002 and has two children who graduated from the school district, with her younger doing so in 2022.
Beiner joined her first PTA in 2006 at Lee Avenue Elementary School. She eventually joined the PTA for the middle school PTA, high school PTA and PTA council, which oversees the 10 PTAs in the district.
Throughout her time in the community, she has always been in a leadership role. She is now the co-chairperson of the district’s safety committee as well.
Beiner went to college at Farmingdale State College and is now a defense litigation paralegal, something that she said has helped her understand the inner workings of a school board.
“When it comes to legal issues and things of that nature, I think because of my experience in law, it gives me a better ability to understand what is happening,” she said.
Beiner said being a board member comes with heavy responsibility.
“We are in charge of a $180 million corporation,” Beiner said. “It is our students, staff and our community who we have to make the right decisions for, so it’s not something you can take lightly.”
Imbriale has been a Hicksville resident for nearly 26 years and is finishing up her sixth year as a school board member.
She is a stay-at-home mother of two special-needs children, with her younger graduating from the district in 2023.
Imbriale said she had been involved with several district committees before she joined the board, advocating for special education students.
“There was a lot that I didn’t want to see any other families have to go through,” she said. “I had battles with the district for special education services, and I was just hitting brick walls. I wanted to be able to make a difference in the lives of the students.”
Imbriale said that was a driving force behind her joining the school board. She said the district has improved its special education program because of everybody’s combined efforts.
Imbriale said she has advocated for zero-bus emissions and against affordable housing that would not provide tax income for the district. She said she has also spoken with local officials and that she sees the “big scope of the educational picture.”
Mirza has been a Hicksville resident for over 15 years and is running for the board for the first time. He is on the wellness and curriculum committees within the district.
Mirza has two children, one who is in college and one who attends Hicksville Middle School.
Mirza is the assistant vice president for the New York Hall of Science and has worked in various positions at tourist attractions and transportation hubs throughout New York City. He is a graduate of the City College of New York.
Mirza said that his work with the district and within the community already gives him an understanding of what it takes to be on the board. He also said that he would bring a level of operational expertise to the board and he knows how to listen to the wants of residents.
“I’m dedicated to the success of the kids of Hicksville,” he said. “It’s not about politics, it’s about doing what’s right for the kids in our schools and our future.”
All three candidates approved the district’s decision to lower the tax cap to 1.07% and set a tax levy of 2.57% for the adopted 2025-26 budget, which will require 60% community approval.
Hicksville community members can cast their vote for the board candidates at the same time that they vote on the district’s $180 million budget on Tuesday, May 20.
