By ARABELLA BALGOBIND and ZAARA MALIK
Recently the Jericho Joint PTA hosted a Meet the Candidates Night moderated by the League of Women Voters at which trustee candidates Ms. Jill Citron, Dr. Divya Balachandar, and Mr. John Sarraf responded to a series of questions from Jericho residents, and expressed goals they would like to accomplish.
Current Board of Education president Jill Citron has been an community member for over 20 years. Citron graduated from Fordham University School of Law and is now an estate planning attorney at Rivkin Radler LLP. She stressed the importance of remaining unbiased when serving on the board, and prioritizes attending to every student and family of Jericho.
In terms of Citron’s past accomplishments on the board, she is most proud of the policies she and her running mate, Dr. Divya Balachandar, implemented during COVID-19. She said, “We took care of mental health and we took care of education.”
In addition to that, Citron has also been an active voice on Jericho’s Diversity Equity and Inclusivity (DEI) committee. She said, “I was instrumental on the DEI committee, and I think that will go a long way in making people understand and accept each other.”
Citron also expressed her contentment about student involvement in school events such as Homecoming, Jericho’s production of “Frozen” and Multicultural Night.
Dr. Divya Balachandar is a Cornell University graduate and pediatric pulmonologist at Pediatric Asthma and Pulmonary Associates of New York. She is a current trustee and has been an involved member of the community. She said that she is “An active PTA member of the middle school, involved in the Jackson site-based committee, District Safety Committee, Jericho Wellness Committee, a committed volunteer for Jericho Cares, and on the chair of the school health committee of the local chapter of American Pediatrics.”
Dr. Balachandar emphasized the importance of being united as a school district. She said, “In these post-COVID times, we crave unity more than ever before. We, as a community, must help and heal each other’s wounds as best as we know how by increasing more district-wide events where we can all work together to help and show that we are really stronger together.”
Dr. Balachandar expressed aspects of Jericho’s curriculum that she is proud of and what she seeks to expand upon if reelected. She said, “We offer over 30 APs and we’re expanding next year. I would like to see us expand in STEM. I would also like to expand on security and anti-bullying programs.”
Dr. Balachandar stressed the importance of striving for equality among students and how Jericho’s DEI committee, of which she is a part, has allowed students to feel accepted. She said, “For every student to be successful, they need to feel seen and included. What does it mean to have diverse representation? Diverse staff and students? When students engage with their learning, they do better. An inclusive classroom is where students feel an extensive sense of belonging. I look forward to seeing what work is being done by this committee.”
John Sarraf is the third candidate on the ballot. Sarraf earned his bachelor’s degree in finance at CW Post, and has been the CEO of US Alliance Paper for the past 25 years. He also studied business at Harvard University. Sarraf said, “The reason I am running is because of my kids who will be going here for the next 6 years.”
Being a businessman, Sarraf has “great skills in negotiating, managing funds, and has a commitment to transparency.” He also emphasized that maintaining fiscal responsibility is vital to a school board and he seeks to make that a priority if elected.
Sarraf stated his plans to unify the community. “We have one of the best school districts in the world. I would engage the community and have an open dialogue so that everyone can be happy. Through dialogue, through engagement, through having people come together, everybody can be part-owner of the community,” he said.
Sarraf mentioned that he is most proud of the organization Love Together Brasil which his wife, Geralda, runs. Through this organization, he and his wife strive to provide relief to underprivileged Brazilian children.
Sarraf stressed the importance of making every student feel accepted, heard and seen within Jericho schools. He said, “I think DEI is an important part of our culture. Work starts at the home level when you teach your kids to be respectful and tolerant of differences. Everybody is equal and everybody is the same, even if they look different.”
Sarraf explained his belief that there is a lack of transparency between the board and the community. He said, “I can listen to people and all sides of a situation and then come to a decision. We need to set the right policies that our children need so that they can unlock their full potential.”
Another policy that was discussed during the night was the district’s budget. Citron and Balachandar both praised the careful consideration taken in reviewing the budget that occurs throughout the year. Citron believes a balance of funding exists. She said, “We have kept the budget to be zero increase. We have room in the budget to add 16 extra teachers to have a lower class size and have 23 students maximum in every classroom. We’ve increased the technology budget and the security budget. So, I think in terms of all of those areas we are well positioned in our budget.”
Dr. Balachandar would like to add more funding for mental health. She said, “In terms of what I feel we need to focus our efforts on is our focus on mental health for our children. We’ve seen a mental health crisis in students after COVID-19. That is something I’m passionate about focusing our budget on.”
Sarraf’s budget ideas focus on staff and security. He said, “The first thing I would do is increase pay for our wonderful teachers. Secondly, I would increase school safety. With everything going on in our country, every parent should feel safe sending their kids to school.”
Sarraf offered the idea of placing guards around the perimeter of the school.
All three candidates stated they are against book banning, although their reasons varied.
Jill Citron said, “We follow the New York State curriculum. I don’t believe books should be banned if they are a part of the curriculum. Teachers have been able to use their expertise to make the curriculum specific to their students. I don’t believe that books should be banned unless they’re actually inappropriate. I do trust our staff and teachers to give our students what’s appropriate.”
Dr. Balachandar said, “Our educators use New York State standards and develop a curriculum that is individualized and meets the population it serves. One of the greatest things I took from my public education was the books I had access to that I wouldn’t have read otherwise. Books should be given to students based on appropriate age. I think access is key.”
Sarraf said, “I’m absolutely against banning books. I’m 100% against banning any kind of book. If we believe something is inappropriate for students, we should come to a decision.”
Polls are open at the MS/HS gymnasium from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16th and all residents are encourage to vote.