Manhasset school board President Regina Rule and retired lawyer Christine Monterosso filed petitions on Monday to run in the May 17 school elections.
They will run unopposed following Trustee Craig Anderson’s decision to step down after six years on the board.
Christine Monterosso, a 12-year Manhasset resident, said she would offer a unique perspective to the Board of Education.
“I absolutely respect all the trustees on the board but most of their kids are out of the school system,” Monterosso said.
She said she understand the concerns of parents in the district because her children still attend Manhasset schools.
“I have a kid who is going to be in kindergarten and sixth grade next year,” Monterosso said. “And I know a lot of mothers with younger children in the district and I hope to serve as their voice on the board.”
Monterosso said she moved to Manhasset in 2004 with her husband and then 10-month old son after living in Manhattan for nine years because of the school district.
“I slowly became more involved in the schools since my son is enrolled there and nothing is more important to me than the education of my kids,” Monterosso said.
Monterosso graduated from Cornell University in 1990 and finished her law degree from Duke University in 1993.
She said she clerked for a federal judge for a year, worked as an at Sullivan & Cromwell for six years and later worked at a smaller entertainment litigation firm.
She said she quit her law career just to raise her children.
Monterosso said she felt it was important for her children to go through the public education system since her husband, who is an attorney, and she went through the public school system.
“I feel like serving on the board is my way of giving back to the system,” she said.
Monterosso said she started out as grade level chair for the Manhasset School Community Association, then served on the Shared Decision Making Committee to strengthen parental involvement in the school programs.
She said she also co-chaired the Community Education Committee for two years.
She said perhaps the most important role she played was as a liaison of the SCA to the Board of Education educating and encouraging parents to come out and vote on the budget.
“I’m excited at the possibility at working on the board and its something that I feel very passionate about it,” Monterosso said.
Rule, who has served on the board since 2010, said she decided to run again because of the people with whom she works.
“We have an incredible faculty, staff and administrators in the school district,” Rule said. “And I enjoy the process of making sure that we have challenging course curriculums for students from K-12”
She said the trustees and administrators work well together well.
“When you need someone to move this along and shake things up, that’s me,” Rule said. “But we have a fine team of trustees that have worked together well.”
Rule moved to Manhasset in 1993 with her husband, who is a Manhasset school alum, to raise her children.
“He’s always spoken highly of the public school (Manhasset) and that was why we moved here,” Rule said.
She said graduated from Yale University in 1983 with a B.A. in economics and worked as a bond trader at Goldman Sachs for 11 years before retiring.
Residents will vote for the 2016-17 budget and board seats on May 17 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
