Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My name is William Russack and I am writing to ask for your continued support in my reelection as Trustee of the Wantagh Board of Education. As a Wantagh homeowner for over 34 years, I personally share the values that our community holds.
My wife, a Wantagh graduate, and I raised and educated our two sons in Wantagh. The educational opportunities afforded by our district allowed them to attend the colleges of their choice and both are on the road to successful careers.
One of my goals as your Board Trustee is to offer the same opportunities to your children by applying a cost effective philosophy to funding our programs. This includes advancing our technology initiatives, promoting academic rigor, and providing a safe environment for our children to learn.
We must continue to develop budgets which are educationally sound, but which minimize the financial impact on the entire Wantagh community. The proposed 2013-2014 school budget represents the second lowest tax levy increase in the past 6 years while maintaining the high quality of education we have come to expect for our students. The previous year’s budget 2012-2013 that I also helped craft represented the smallest tax levy increase for the previous 14 years. We must continue to make creative and many times difficult decisions so our students do not suffer because of any budget reductions and minimize cutbacks that would be directly felt in the classrooms.
Here are some of the areas where the Board and I are reducing taxpayer cost:
•Refinancing a portion of existing bonds, which will save the district in excess of $400,000 in interest over the remaining life of those bonds.
•Refitting the heating systems in Forest Lake and Mandalay Schools allowing the district to either burn fuel oil or natural gas.
•Renegotiated the contract with our district-wide Fiber WAN provider, which will provide a substantial increase in bandwidth at no additional cost and actually save money over the next three years. This effort allows the District to provide better Internet connectivity as we move forward with improved and progressive online learning and testing.
We continue to optimize those expenditures that provide the district with aid reimbursements. These areas include use of BOCES services, transportation, textbooks and computer software.
Next year’s budget includes for the first time a Full Day Kindergarten program. Full Day Kindergarten will further help develop and strengthen foundation skills for our young children and will serve as an invaluable investment in the future of our school district and community.
The District will continue to providing a safe learning environment by maintaining a security presence in all of our schools this coming year.
I will continue to explore every reasonable opportunity for improving revenue and controlling the expense side of the budget to best manage our tax levy in the years ahead. We must be mindful of every dollar we spend, especially when tax increases may force our neighbors from their homes.
Through my years living here in Wantagh, I have been involved in the following:
•Trustee- Board of Education 2007 to Present
•President Board of Education 2011-2012
•Vice President Board of Education 2010-2011
•Member Schools Safety Committee
•Member Schools Building and Grounds Committee
•Budget Advisory Committee Member 2002-2007
•BAC Chairperson 2005-2006
•Member Schools Technology Committee
•Guest Lecturer on Internet Safety to the Wantagh Middle School and 6-12 Association
•10 Year Little League Manager and current team sponsor
•Past Fund Raising Committee Member Wantagh Band Wagon
•Class Parent Wantagh Elementary School
I am seeking reelection to the Board of Education, as now more than ever we need experienced, knowledgeable and sensible leadership to navigate these challenging economic times. I look forward to the privilege of serving and ask for your vote on Election Day, Tuesday May 21st 2013.
Sincerely,
William Russack
