I am writing in support of Emily Beys as a candidate for trustee of the Port Washington Board of Education.

I first met Emily when she was president of the Schreiber HSA and I was president of the
Manorhaven PTA. Since then, we have continued to work together in different capacities.

Emily has continually demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our children and to public education in general.

For the past five years, Emily has chaired the Legislative Task Force, of which I also am
a member. The Task Force focuses on all legislative matters that affect our schools, including the issue of state aid.

Emily was a driving force in our 2017 effort to “Get Our Fair Share of the
Pie” in which we advocated for additional state aid from New York State. She was instrumental in preparing the “Pie” presentation that very clearly demonstrated our District’s need for – and entitlement to – additional state aid. Then, she presented this to different community groups in order to educate our community and rally support.

Importantly, she also met with our local state politicians to arm them with the information they needed to advocate on our behalf in Albany.

This advocacy was and continues to be, successful. Port Washington’s total state aid in
2016-17 (before the Legislative Task Force began its push) was $9,153,255. For the 2022-2023 school year, Port Washington’s state aid will be $15,768,928.

This is more than a $6.6 million increase! I believe that Emily’s tireless efforts in the community and with our state legislators played an immeasurable part in this. Quite simply, Emily gets things done.

She is a valuable asset to our community. If she is re-elected, Emily will continue to work on behalf of all of our children.

Please join me on Tuesday, May 17th, to vote for Emily Beys and in support of the
school budget.

Michelle Duran

Port Washington