On May 17 Jennifer Kerrane, trustee for the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District will be running for re-election against Katherine Bannon, a district resident and teacher with the New York City Department of Education. 

Kerrane and Bannon are running for one of the three open seats for the district’s board of education. Trustee Kathryn Canese is running unopposed for her own seat and incumbent Patricia Rudd is running for re-election against Gjergji Shuku.

If elected to a fourth three-year term, Kerrane said she would continue the progess the district has been making with program expansion, administration hiring including principals and a superintendent and transparency with the community.

Kerrane said she initially decided to run to improve communication with the district and has so far seen the board work very well together during her time so far. 

“If elected I would just continue what we’re doing because we have an awesome board that listens to the community,” Kerrane said. “We all have different connections, different-aged kids in the district 

A New Hyde Park resident since 2004, Kerrane currently works as a nursery school teacher in Manhasset and has also been a parent in the district. She said she believes her experience and collaboration skills working with other trustees would serve the district well this election. 

“There’s nothing that one board member can do without the support and connection with the rest of the group. We have to be a team,” Kerrane said. “I’ve been in budget talks and negotiations along with the hiring process for the district and I’d like to continue that.”

Bannon, a Long Island native and resident since 2019, is currently a teacher with the New York City Department of Education. She is currently a member of the New Hyde Park Road School PTA and running to increase her involvement in the district after moving here months before the COVID-19. 

“I am very active in my professional community at work but I’ve realized it’s time to turn to manifest that at home.”

Bannon is a graduate of Pace University with a master’s from CUNY in childhood education. Professionally, she has volunteered to educate adults in basic literacy programs headed the English department in a multilingual International Baccalaureate independent school before teaching with the DOE. She said she is running to help promote cultural inclusivity while pushing to expand socially conscious curriculum

“I feel like empathy is the foundation of everything,” Bannon said. “I think that I believe in wholeheartedly authentically that if people treat others with compassion, then like it can only lead to a positive thing. I am completely dedicated to socially conscious curriculums, where we live is such a diverse place and it deserves to be celebrated and I think it’s very important to be celebrated more throughout the school system.

Bannon says she wants to help make the district a reason for younger people to stay on Long Island as opposed to moving elsewhere.

“I believe this school system is a great incentive for families to say because I know it is for me,” Bannon said.

A previous version of this story was published. It has since been updated