In the midst of an otherwise uncontested election, Jericho resident Kenny Jin is leading a write-in campaign for a trustee seat on the Board of Education. Jin, who failed to file a petition prior to the April 21 deadline, announced his write-in campaign a week and a half before the election, which will be on Tuesday, May 20.
“There is a gap between the community and the school district,” Jin said.
Jin is vying for a seat, currently belonging to current Board President Christopher Foresto. Jericho resident Jennifer Camhi is the only name on the ballot after Foresto did not submit a petition. Camhi is a physical therapist with three children in the district and has served on the Parent Teacher Association in numerous capacities, including as president.
Jin, a Jericho resident, said he has over 18 years of finance experience that he hopes to implement in his role on the board if elected. He said he has one daughter in the district, who attends Cantiague Elementary School, and has not previously volunteered with the school.
Jin said he hopes to increase board transparency if elected. When issues like regionalization arose this year, Jin said he hoped for more community input and district transparency. If elected, he said he would lead more discussions and votes within the community on similar issues.
“A lot of decisions are being made for us and not by us,” he said.
Jin said if elected, he would advocate for transparency in school finances. He said budget information is currently hard to find on the school’s website, and there is not much financial information shared outside of the budget season.
“The way they name it and they frame it is really hard for the average person to find,” he said.
Jin said he would also advocate for greater outreach to immigrant communities, which may not understand the board’s relevance or work within the school district. He said that due to language barriers, many immigrants within the district do not participate in public hearings or board meetings.
Whether he wins or loses the election this month, Jin said he hopes to send a message to the district that residents want more communication between the school and its residents.
“I have the courage to do this because I felt like I needed to tell the school that we had had enough of the lack of transparency,” he said.
Because Jin did not file a petition, which requires dozens of signatures from the community, before the deadline last month, his name will not appear on the ballot. Jin said voters can vote for him if they select “Write-In” with his name.
Voting will be held on Tuesday, May 20, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the middle/high school gymnasium.
