My family and I have been living in the East Williston School District for the past 15 years.

In the past, I didn’t feel a pressing need to follow school board elections. But in the past few years, the school board’s impact has become clear. Every year the board must deal with various budget, academic, and staffing issues that directly affect the quality of education in our district.

This year we have many changes among the district’s leaders, including school superintendent and high school principal. The current school board which includes Tasneem Meghji and David Keefe has seamlessly found qualified educators to replace those who are leaving.

I have been most impressed with the way the current School Board has dealt with the chaos caused by the Covid epidemic. In the spring of 2020, I thought our schools were slow to adjust to all the new COVID protocols.

At that point, the board listened to the district’s parents and immediately mobilized. They heard the parents’ call for a move to in-person learning and spent the summer of 2020 working tirelessly toward that end.

As a result, our school district was one of only three districts on Long Island to offer continuous in-school classes the entire school year 2020-2021.

COVID continues to be a concern, but I think we can feel confident the current Board is capable of dealing with any and all future challenges.

In these tumultuous times, we need school board members that will continue to provide experienced, proven leadership. In my humble opinion Tasneem and David ( and the rest of the board) have earned our continued support.

Paul Jarrahhy

East Williston