The upcoming election May 17 for school board and the budget represents a serious challenge to all that has made Great Neck school district the best in the state and, remarkably third best in the nation, with both high schools in the top 1,000 of US News’ ranking of 18,000. Those of us who have lived here, raised our children here and had them go through our celebrated public schools, seeing their success in their lives and careers, must fiercely protect our district against those “culture warriors” who would destroy it.
Donna Peirez, who has spent her entire life in education and, for the past six years a trustee on our school board (notably, as vice president and Policy Committee chair), deserves the highest praise for her unwavering devotion to our students and public education writ large.
Recently, she took questions during Reachout America’s Candidate’s Forum (her opponent, Emil Hakimi, declined to participate, which I take as disqualifying), including a number of hot-button questions regarding curriculum, book banning, Critical Race Theory (which, as Peirez noted, is not part of K-12 curriculum but is a law school course), and parental engagement.
“Our curriculum is based on New York state learning standards,” Peirez responded each time the question was asked. “As a public school district, we follow the laws of the state. We are required to educate every child to the best of their ability. Our mission statement states that. We are working hard to give every child what they need.”
As for parental engagement – another faux issue – Great Neck has been on the forefront of providing parents, students, indeed all stakeholders, opportunities to directly impact the school experience and budget – through building Shared Decision Making committees, advisory committees, the UPTC, as well as parent-teacher organizations. Every person who attends board meetings is listened to respectfully. Indeed, in response to one question, Peirez said, “That’s a good idea!” and made a note to follow up.
“Why am I running for re-election? First and foremost, I am a child advocate. I’ve spent most of my life learning about, teaching and raising children. I believe I have an obligation as a board member to assist children how to navigate their way through society, the world, to give each the tools to find their way. We don’t teach them what to think but how to think.”
Peirez spent 11 years teaching 3- and 4-year-olds at Great Neck Community School (“So many life lessons have stayed with me: how to work with others, modeling how to share, accept differences, appreciate similarities. It taught me how to use those skills with older students and adults.”). She then taught for 28 years in Great Neck Public Schools at Lakeville (“It was a miracle each year, to see 18 individuals become a unit and care for each other. Every day was an adventure, with wonder, excitement. And I learned the importance of differentiated instruction – one size doesn’t fit all, as my own children taught me.”)
After her retirement, her life went “full circle” as she returned to volunteering on behalf of the communityand being elected to the School Board. It must be emphasized that unlike most elected positions (including Special District commissioners), our schools trustees manage a $262 million enterprise with thousands of “clients” (students), a thousand employees, a dozen building facilities, non-school stakeholders including taxpayers, having to adhere to federal, state and local law and many jurisdictions (State Ed, Health Department), when a comparable job would earn a six-figure salary.
“People have no idea the depth and breadth of topics the board deals with,” she said, noting she draws on every one of those lessons she learned as a parent, a teacher and a volunteer serving on school committees including Shared Decision Making, PTAs and UPTC, “listening, building consensus.”
“We are living in a difficult time when so many social niceties are challenged, curriculum is attacked, teachers are questioned about how to present material. I am running for re-election because I want to be a part of the future of the first-class education Great Neck offers, and because I feel my job is not yet done,” she stated.
School Board trustees make decisions regarding the budget (as much a statement of values as enabling programming), much of which is “fixed” by contracts and state mandates, but much of which is discretionary – like the inviolate policy of small-class size, the investments that make possible extracurriculars from art, music and theater, to robotics and science research, Model UN, Model Congress and Mock Trial, that enable children to find their own talents, confidence, and success and love learning and being part of the school community; they hire and evaluate the superintendent, administrators and teachers to grant tenure and “maintain ethical standards.” Who we elect to represent us on the school board makes a critical difference.
At the end of her remarks, she added, “I wish my opponent were here so we can discuss some of our differences, similarities.”
I can only assume, because Hakimi did not bother to stand for questions as Peirez did about his views on censorship, book banning and stripping the school experience down to nothing more “reading, writing and ‘rithmetic” that this is exactly what he advocates. Based on his interview with Blank Slate, I do not have confidence he would value small-class size nor extracurriculars that enable students to discover their talents, interests, gain self-confidence and fulfill all their abilities, or learn how to collaborate with others.
“We should be grooming the next generation of doctors, lawyers, educators, and entrepreneurs, not social justice warriors,” he told Blank Slate (https://archive.theisland360.com/featured/peirez-running-for-re-election-to-great-neck-school-board-against-challenger-hakimi/ ) (Interesting reading: “Our Very Own Great Neck Activists,” https://gnnguidepost.org/5046/showcase/great_neck_activists/)
His remarks suggest he does not embrace our district’s educational philosophy: “The purpose of education in our schools shall be: to kindle a desire and provide the means for intellectual, emotional, moral, social and physical growth leading to knowledge and excellent; to help all children acquire, according to their capabilities, the power and will to learn and to live a creative life as a member of a democratic society; and to help each individual student develop the will to explore and enlarge the realm of the human mind and spirit.” (https://www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/cms/lib/NY02208059/Centricity/domain/41/2022-23%20budget/PRELIMINARY%20BUDGET%20BOOK_FINAL.pdf)
Consider this: Great Neck has always been a melting pot for immigrant families – our students come from 40 countries, two-thirds are either immigrants or first generation. Great Neck has consistently been a majority minority community, with Jews and Asians now making up the largest segments – two groups that have been the brunt of the rise in hate crimes. Would Hakimi erase teaching the Holocaust with its lessons of tolerance (mandated by New York state) as too touchy-feely? Would he ban the 1619 Project from history classes because it might spark social justice warriors?
Peirez fully pledged support for the district’s published statement of educational philosophy, to empower our educators to “make it possible for each child: to develop the ability to think clearly, reason effectively, master the tools of learning and use them with purpose; to acquire an understanding of history, appreciate our nation’s heritage, traditions and ideals, and achieve respect for individuals and their differences and for the relationships that exist on a personal, local, national and international level, and to develop originality and creativity and maintain the integrity of the individual personality.”
The proof of the value of Great Neck’s educational philosophy is in the success of generations of Great Neck students – in their college experience, their career and their lives because our schools give them the skills they need to succeed in a diverse, fast-changing, ever-shrinking world.
Vote Tuesday, May 17 to support Great Neck’s outstanding school district and preserve its values. Vote to reelect Donna Peirez.
