Adelphi University Quill Awards 2022 — Honorable Mention for Best News Article
By LINDSEY KOMSON, CAROLINE GROSS and DREW HECHT
Tuesday’s upcoming Board of Education election has much more at stake than many Jericho school district residents may realize. With 2 open seats, 4 new candidates (2 of whom are running as a slate) and controversies surrounding the Jericho Family Support Center, there is a lot on the table for this year’s election.
All candidates have expressed worthy goals they would like to accomplish if elected.
As a trustee, Ms. Jennifer Vartanov wants to create full transparency between the Board and Jericho residents. “I want to make sure that there is nothing ever hidden. I want to make decisions openly and honestly because the community deserves that. As taxpayers, we deserve nothing less,” she said. “I plan to bring things out in the open so that there is more transparency and improve communication,” she added.
Ms. Jennifer Vartanov believes running for the school board is essential for improving the community. She said, “I really want to make a difference for the school, for the children and see the Board grow for everyone.”
Mr. Sam Perlman would also like to see more transparency from the Board in terms of the discussion of community issues. “What I would like to see is more public discussion. And I think that’s something that is beneficial to everyone because it makes people challenge what they’re thinking and why they’re doing it, as opposed to having a group type of approach.”
Mr. Perlman would like to bring about a more formal process to the Board of Education meetings. “I think the Board needs a more professional, formal process in terms of decision making. What you’ve seen is, you know, I don’t want to call it haphazard, but it’s a little bit without a process. That type of issue is something that I think needs to be instilled into the way the Board approaches their process.”
One of Mr. Thomas Taubes’ major goals if elected to the Board is to create a more unified community. “It’s important to promote diversity, keep everybody happy and safe, and make sure that they appreciate others. I am all for supporting people and the way they feel, whether it’s with or without my views,” he said.
Mr. Taubes stressed his goal of safety during the pandemic. “In the short term, making sure the kids are getting back to school safe, the teachers are safe, everyone is safe. Obviously the more that takes place and the quicker it takes place, it’ll put everyone’s mind at ease to get to that next step to get back to normal,” he said.
Dr. Christopher Foresto believes that his experience in the medical field can aid the school’s transition back to normal, and prevent future health issues within the community. “I feel I can provide a level of expertise and hopefully plan the current response as well as a future response from a healthcare realm,” he said.
Outside of the medical perspective, Dr. Foresto wants to serve the community as best he can. “More than anything, I just want to be a reasonable voice that serves our community and represents those who elected us.”
Much of the attention for this year’s election is focused on the candidates’ opinions of the Jericho Family Support Center, a transitional housing facility proposed for the former Hampton Inn in Jericho. The community became divided over this issue last summer and this has, in part, led to the competitive election.
Candidate Vartanov is a co-founder of Concerned Jericho Parents, a not-for-profit group whose stated mission is to “stop an illegal shelter from being placed in Nassau County that would supersede all local zoning laws.”
Candidate Perlman does not agree with the way the transitional housing facility was proposed. He explained that he is against it from a personal standpoint because he feels that Community Housing Innovations, the group behind the Jericho Family Support Center, “circumvented the law, did not go with the rules as currently stated by the town of Oyster Bay, that they developed the project in secrecy, and that the way they went about trying to sneak the project through without going through those necessary regulatory and legal and community hurdles.”
Although he may not agree with the measures taken to bring about the housing facility, Perlman will prioritize educating students who live in it. “The Board is responsible for educating every child that lives within the district. If the transitional facility opens, as a Board member I will be responsible for making sure that those children receive the same education as any other child living in the district,” Perlman said.
Thomas Taubes and Christopher Foresto believe that the Board should focus on the education of all their students, rather than on issues that are out of its realm of responsibility. “It is the Board of Ed’s responsibility for providing the educational background for these kids for as long as they’re in the district. As far as the facility is concerned, I do think it is more on the county, town and state than it really is on the Board of Ed,” said Mr. Taubes.
Mr. Taubes and Dr. Foresto unconditionally support the education of every Jericho student as well. “If the facility is permitted to open, I support it wholeheartedly. And as a Board member, if I was elected, would absolutely work to ensure that the students that are housed in that facility receive the same Jericho education that every other student is entitled to as a resident of Jericho. I think taking any other position is irresponsible, immoral, and really doesn’t set the example that we should be setting as a community,” said Dr. Foresto.
One rather unique aspect of this election is that 2 of the candidates, Dr. Foresto and Mr. Taubes, are running together as a slate. Early on, the pair recognized how aligned their views are, and found it beneficial to campaign together. “It was just a natural thing to partner together. This is a big undertaking, but I thought it made a lot of sense considering our similar ideals,” said Dr. Foresto
Running as a slate, Thomas Taubes, left, and Christopher Foresto feel strongly that they can accomplish more as a team than individually.
Mr. Taubes believes that it’s enjoyable to have someone to collaborate with throughout the process. “This is a new venture for me to delve into, so I do think having someone to lean on and help out was definitely part of my thinking,” said Mr. Taubes.
Dr. Foresto added, “We figured out when to work individually versus collaboratively. We’re on the same page, which is something that made it easy to partner up and handle the opportunity.”
Mr. Perlman views a slate as problematic. “Jericho does not have a large board. We only have 5 people, and I think in that case you really want to have independent voices. I’m really not sure what the benefit is of having 2 people who you’re not necessarily sure how independent they are from each other,” he said.
The candidates differ on their thoughts on attendance at Board of Education meetings as residents. Not only do they disagree about the importance of such attendance, but their attendance rates differ as well.
Dr. Foresto has attended several Board meetings throughout the years and believes that it’s beneficial to attend Board meetings to the extent that one is able to. “At the end of the day, whether you went to 5, 20, 50 or 100, I don’t think that makes you any more qualified than anybody else,” said Dr. Foresto.
Mr. Taubes’ work schedule made attending Board meetings in-person a bit difficult, but when meetings went virtual due to the pandemic, he attended regularly. He said, “At the end of the day, no, it’s not a requirement. Is it a feather in other individuals’ hats because they’ve been so involved with it? Yes, I will definitely say that.”
Being a consistent Board of Education meeting attendee for the past 10 years, Mr. Perlman expressed his strong opinion of the worth that these meetings hold. Mr. Perlman believes that attendance at meetings shows commitment and respect for the district. He said, “If your first in-person Board meeting is going to be you sitting as a Board member, it is completely disrespectful to the members of the community.
Of his attendance at Board of Education meetings, Mr. Sam Perlman said, “I’ve probably been to more meetings in this district than anyone else. Not that that’s the qualification, but I understand the issues this district has been facing.”
Attempts to receive comments about attendance from Ms. Vartnov went unanswered.
A significant characteristic of prospective Board members is their community involvement.
According to Jennifer Vartanov, she became involved in the Jericho community about 9 months ago. “I became a community activist and saw there was a need for some positive change for Jericho,” she said.
Sam Perlman has been active in the community for more than 7 years. “I got involved with the Jericho Educational Foundation (JEF) about 7 years ago. I came in as treasurer, and over the next 3 years I think we raised about a couple hundred thousand dollars for the district.”
Mr. Perlman has also been involved in local athletics having “coached over 200 kids in the district in various sports. That entails giving up weekends, giving up week nights.”
Christopher Foresto grew up in Muttontown and now lives in West Birchwood. He joined the Jericho Fire Department (JFD) as a junior firefighter in 1990. Since then, he has moved up in the ranks of the JFD, having served as a Firefighter, EMT, Lieutenant Captain, Second Assistant Chief, and First Assistant Chief. “I’ve been in a leadership position in the JFD for many years and oversee a department that provides fire rescue services to the Jericho community, Brookville and Muttontown,” Dr. Foresto said.
According to Mr. Taubes, he’s been directly involved in the Jericho community ever since his elder son began playing Jericho sports in 2006. He took a leadership position with the Jericho Athletic Association (JAA) in 2012. “I was asked to interview for the JAA Board and ended up landing a position in 2012, taking over the intramural baseball program,” he said.
In 2018, Taubes ran for and won President of the JAA Board, and currently serves in this role. “It was a great honor to do all the coaching, and it’s a great honor to serve now on the Board,” he said.
Superintendent of Schools Mr. Grishman believes that it’s important for the community to do research on each candidate before going out to vote on May 18th. “I encourage everyone to do their homework and see what each candidate has to bring to the Board and if it’s along the lines of what you want to see amongst the leaders in the Jericho School District,” he said.
Jericho students who are 18 years of age are eligible to vote in the annual budget vote and school board election. Mr. Grishman is a firm supporter of students exercising this right. “I think as our seniors turn 18, it is potentially their first experience in participating in democracy. I would encourage all seniors to vote,” he said.
Voting will take place on Tuesday, May 18th, 2021 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Sam Springer Gym.