N. Babylon BOE Candidate: Bob Scheid

With the North Babylon Board of Education election and budget vote next week, Patch is taking a look at the candidates in this year's election.

Newcomer Heather Rowland will be facing incumbent Jay Shinnick for his Board of Education seat. On the other side, incumbent Bob Scheid will face off against Geri-Ann McNamee for the other remaining North Babylon seat.

We sent an e-mail to all of the candidates asking them the same questions to give residents an idea of who each candidate and what their goals are for the district.

Bob Scheid
Age: 51
Occupation: Operations in financial industry
Children: Three (1 graduate, 1 in high school, 1 in middle school)
Lived in North Babylon: 33 years

Patch: Why are you running?

 A few years ago, I started attending Board meetings to find out what was going on in the district.  I had three children in the schools and wanted to know what we were doing to help our students succeed.  I decided to run and contribute my knowledge and commitment to help make North Babylon the School District parents seek out for their children.

Patch: What is the biggest challenge facing the district?

There are two major challenges facing North Babylon.  Improving our test scores, especially in the areas of Math and Science.  We need to continue to build and improve our education programs in order for the North Babylon School District to be thought of as a center of excellence for education.  The budget we have presented is a step in that direction by addressing curriculum support for our teachers and giving them the additional tools needed to help our students succeed.  We also need to address the inequitable school funding formula.  North Babylon does not have a large tax base and we do not receive our fair share of funding from the state.  We, as a community, need to talk to and write our state representatives and let them know that North Babylon School District is an active, vibrant part of out community that deserves and demands their support.

Patch: What would be your top goals, if elected, to achieve within the district over the next few years?

I would want us, and expect us, to make great strides in how our students education is measured.  Improvements in standardized testing is one measure, but also, scores on Regents exams, AP Tests, and graduation rates for all our students.  The better we prepare our students, the more opportunities will be available to them and the more successful they can become.

Patch: What is one thing you want to do differently in the district?

I would like to get more community participation at the School District meetings, but especially for the budget hearings.  It is very important that we hear from and listen to the community.  The School District is the biggest community identification we have in North Babylon and we need to work together to improve our schools so we can continue to improve our community.