Schools

Sayville BOE Race: Q&A With Raymond Nelson

As the school budget vote and board election nears Patch talks with candidates on the issues.

Patch is asking all school board candidates to complete a Q&A to offer up insight on why they're running and their respective qualifications and backgrounds for serving on a school board. All board candidates are asked the same set of questions and also asked to provide some bio information.

In the Sayville School District there is one contested election.

Current BOE President Raymond Nelson is being challenged by Laura Valente.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Full Name: Raymond J. Nelson
Years in District
: 14
Children in District
: 2 daughters completed K-8 in Sayville and attend(ed) parochial high school. One a HS soph the other a college soph.
Occupation
: Executive Director of Excel Rehabilitation & Sports Therapy
Educational Level
: Bachelor of Science – CW Post / LIU
Special skills/licenses/accomplishments
: 12 years on the Board, learning, listening and experiencing has built upon my business and educational background, helping me to be the most productive board member possible. I am currently the BOE President, and have served 4 terms as president, a position of leadership selected by my board peers to do so. I would like to continue sharing my skills and giving back to my community.

What is the biggest/top issue facing the school district and what is one proposal you have for solving it?

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Reduced funding from NYS.  Decreasing enrollment. Unfunded mandates. Together, they pose serious concerns for Sayville ( and other ) schools. Fiscal management, spending reductions and strategic use of current funding levels as Sayville has been meticulously doing for the last 10 years are of paramount importance. My solution is to maintain the course we have been on, because it is working.

Next year’s budget will likely be tougher than this year’s in the quest to meet the tax cap. Name one specific budget area you believe can be reduced going forward.

A difficult question, as most budget areas are trimmed. Sayville will start our own program for special needs students, who are currently educated out of district. This will be tremendous for these children, and will eventually save the districts resources. Ultimately the program will provide a revenue source as children from other districts are tuitioned in to Sayville for their education needs. Cutting and decimation of an outstanding educational system, which has taken years to build, is not the best answer to meet the tax cap.

Consolidation is a hot topic during budget and board election time. Do you favor consolidating school district operations wherever possible, and what is one specific area you believe would be a substantial cost-savings. If you don’t favor it, name one specific reason why not.

Consolidation was explored many years ago between Sayville and Bayport, but was not deemed a viable plan. Each town has it’s own character, programs that it values, traditions, strengths it has worked hard over time to build. Consolidation can diminish their existence and take away from each districts unique character. Perhaps some services and purchasing could be combined without detriment, as is done currently through BOCES, but it would be on an expanded level.

Do you believe parents should have access to teacher evaluations? If yes, why, if no why.  

No. They are private personnel files and the information contained should remain as such. The Superintendent and appropriate administrative staff are the only people who need access. Nothing positive would come from parental access.

What is one specific goal you have established if elected to the board?

As I have sat on this Board for 12 years, having one goal is not a luxury we have. You learn over time that we must juggle many goals. Continuing to provide  exceptional educational opportunities for our students in a difficult economic climate is our primary goal. Constantly looking ahead, avoiding complacency and seeking new methods to educate our kids in an attempt to prepare them for a rapidly changing world. Maintaining the districts fiscal position in challenging times, retaining our excellent faculty whom we have selected and invested in and not overburdening taxpayers are all important goals.

 


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