Meet Mary Ellen Cunningham, BOE 2012 Candidate

On  Lindenhurst residents will not only cast their votes for or against a   and   the Board of Education  on , but they'll also in the board  running for re-election that day.

There are three candidates - all of whom are incumbents - and they're running unopposed.

Trustees Mary Ellen Cunningham and met the public at the  portion of the  meeting and  by Superintendent Richard Nathan on .

Current BOE was unable to attend due to a personal matter, according to Nathan.

However, in an effort to keep voters informed, Lindenhurst Patch is presenting profiles of each incumbent - in no particular order, using the same topics - in the days leading up to BOE Election and Budget Vote next .

Today's BOE Candidate Profile focuses on Mary Ellen Cunningham.

Qualifications/Experience: "My educational and professional background is rooted in education. I have a master’s degree in education and a certificate in administration (SAS). Additionally, I’ve worked as a teacher, and for the last 20 years have been an administrator for early childcare programs.

“I also have three children and one grandchild. I’ve also been involved in the schools as a parent, being active in their PTA, attending BOE meetings and serving on numerous committees during the time my children were in school."

Reason for Running: "I feel there’s work to do that I’d like to see materialize. I feel I help create a diverse BOE. I listen and hear."

If Re-Elected to Another Three-Year Term, Then I'd Like to: “This depends on living with the tax cap. It’d be my hope, my wish, to grow our well-rounded schooling for our children - to have them come from the ‘Home of Great Schools.’

"We [also] have to balance the needs of our taxpayers, as well as provide quality education to all the children in Lindenhurst. Having our children succeed is a direct reflection on our town. It’s also our responsibility to provide quality education for our future leaders. This, too, must be tempered with understanding our community and what they can financially afford.”

Key Accomplishment(s): "I believe we have, and continue to, work toward holding people accountable to their positions and responsibilities in the district."

How will you continue to balance preserving program, jobs and reserves with the reality of the tax cap?
"We need to strive to finalize sound negotiations and contracts with our unions. These negotiations directly impact our ability to preserve programs. We also need to continue to think creatively to preserve quality programs and carefully monitor our reserves over the next five years through these difficult financial times."

What's the one thing you'd like the community to know about this year's and and your role in that as a board member?
"I fully support the upcoming . It’s a sound that still maintains strong programs. To stay within and below the tax cap, we had to start making changes and adjustments to programs. This is fiscally and educationally responsible.

“I’d like the community to know that registered voters need to do their constitutional duty to vote on the school district budget. It’d hurt our children and our community if people choose not to vote at this time. Every vote counts!"

What's the one thing the community needs to know about continuing contract negotiations, particularly with TAL, and your role in that as a board member?
"This district has many fine teachers providing quality, caring education to our children. However, we have to make changes that don’t hurt our children. We hope to keep the lines of communication open, and are hopeful we can settle our contracts in a timely manner and maintain our responsibility to our children and our community.

“The contractual agreements of a generation ago worked for both our teachers and our schools. However, in these changing times and this economy our agreements must evolve and provide new strategies and goals to realize the success for all. In these times it cannot be as it once was. We remain optimistic to the possibility of any concessions that we may receive so we can retain quality programs and a great educational environment."

Editor's Note: Don't forget to share your thoughts and concerns about this year's budget process for the with Lindenhurst Patch on the site in the comments section of articles about the topic, on Facebook and Twitter, by taking these polls and , and by e-mailing barbara.loehr@patch.com with an opinion piece.