Nancy Feinstein said she has always been active in volunteering and one day thought she wanted to use her time helping in her own community.
Feinstein, a Roslyn resident, is now seeking re-election to the Herricks Board of Education for her third term.
Feinstein is running uncontested in the May 15 election. Board President Brian Hassan, an Albertson resident, is also unopposed in his bid for re-election to his third term on the board.
During the May 15 vote at the Herricks Community Center from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. the public will also vote on the proposed $114 million budget.
The budget is an increase of 2.86 percent from the current budget.
The proposed tax levy percent increase is 2.55 percent.
The average tax levy percent increase in the last three years, including the proposed 2.55 percent, is 1.44 percent.
“It’s really challenging … to operate under the tax cap,” Feinstein said. “We manage to do that and maintain [and] expand programs for all of our students, all while having a pretty low per pupil spending – as compared to our [comparative] school districts.”
Feinstein has three children, who have all attended Herricks schools.
Her eldest son is graduating from State University of New York at Binghamton later this month, and her middle son is a rising junior at Michigan State.
Feinstein’s daughter will graduate from Herricks at the end of this school year and will attend the University of Wisconsin in the fall.
Feinstein said it is important to her that the district continues to maintain the class size guidelines.
If re-elected, Feinstein said she hopes to continue to be a part of decisions based on student data that will “help move our students forward.”
She also said she hopes to continue to grow the positive relationship with the administrators and teachers.
Hassan has two children who have graduated from Herricks schools, and a daughter completing her junior year at the high school.
He said he was always active in the community, coaching his children on various sports teams.
When his children stopped playing sports, Hassan said, he became a member of the Herricks Athletic Boosters and then the Herricks Community Fund.
“I always feel that I have something to contribute and there is always a need for help in many areas if you look hard enough,” Hassan said. “My feeling is that some people can contribute their time and some can contribute money. My feeling is that as long as you contribute one or the other, the most important thing is that you contribute.”
Hassan noted the $25 million bond the board passed to complete work in the district, including a new turf field at the high school, new bleachers, new comfort station and new scoreboard, among other improvements, as one of his proudest achievements.
The work is expected to be done in 2022, he said.
One of his goals for his next term, if re-elected, is to complete the remaining bond projects on time and within budget.
He also said he wants to continue enhancing the district’s technology and infrastructure, as well as math and science curriculum.
“These goals are very achievable based on the team that we have currently assembled and the successes that we have already accomplished in the short time that we have been together,” Hassan said.
