Lawrence School Board Candidate: Jesse Lunin-Pack

Patch sent the same questionnaire to all candidates running for school board this year. The following response — which has not been edited by Patch — is from Jesse Lunin-Pack, who is seeking a seat on the Lawrence Board of Education in an election against Tova Plaut and Dov Herman.

Tell us about yourself (age, town, profession, family, etc.)

I am 40 years old and live in Atlantic Beach with my wife and two sons. I am a small businessman, and I own in independent financial services company.

Educationally, I attended private schools my whole life, so I understand the sacrifices that families make to send their children to private school. I have a BA from Tufts University, and an MBA in finance and management from New York University.

What qualifies you to serve as a member of the school board?

I have been involved in the public schools since my older son enrolled three years ago. Currently he is at the #2 School, and my younger son is at the #4 School. I understand the concerns of the public school community.

I have always been civic-minded. I am the EMS Lieutenant of The Atlantic Beach Rescue Company and a member of the Hewlett – East Rockaway Jewish Centre’s Youth and Education Board. I care deeply my community and the people who live here.

Why are you running for the school board?

We live in a wonderful and diverse community, but our school board does not reflect that diversity. I am running to be a voice for public school families. If I win, I will be the only member of the board with children currently enrolled in the Lawrence Public Schools.

What is your opinion of the budget that has been presented to the community? What you have done something differently with it?

In my gut, I worry about cutting psychologists and social workers after many of our children have just experienced the most traumatic events of their lives — Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath. But it is hard to evaluate the decision because I do not know what the tradeoffs were. Did we cut social workers to save AP classes? To save a middle school musical? I don’t know, because the discussions are opaque to the public.

I regularly attend the school board meetings and find myself troubled that they last, on average, about ten minutes. There is no way we can understand the budget with so little discussion. I would like the board to host more open forums so that the community can weigh in on what it values in the budget. I would also like to see a published three- or five-year financial plan for our school district.

Aside from the budget, what do you think is the biggest issue facing the school district?

The greatest challenge to our district is successfully uniting our community in order to best educate our children. Our diversity is evident in the public school population, and in the number of families who take advantage of the public schools and those who do not. Unfortunately, too often our diversity has divided us rather than strengthened us.  

I believe we all want the same thing for our children: we want them to be educated, safe, happy, and successful when it is time for them to go out on their own.

What is the school district’s greatest strength?

District 15 has a long history of academic and athletic achievement. We regularly see students winning awards from prestigious science competitions, graduates gaining admittance to top universities, and athletes competing at the highest levels.

This great history of achievement should be an example for all the students currently in the schools.  It is a great way of showing that if you work hard, and approach life with passion, you can achieve great things.

What is its greatest weakness?

Our greatest weakness is poor communication. Public school families feel alienated from the education of their children. How can this possibly be good for the district?

If you are elected, what is the one thing you’d like to see accomplished during your term?

I would like to see regular town hall meetings attended not only by the school administration, but by the board as well. Such meetings would go a long way towards increasing positive communication, and fostering community involvement in our schools.

The administration has been very good about hosting town hall meetings when there is important information to be disseminated, but it is vital that these meetings be held even if there is no pressing matter to discuss. That way, when things go wrong — as they sometimes do — there will be a level of pre-existing trust to build on during hard times.

Where do you see public education on Long Island going in the future and what role do you hope to have in it?

Long Island is a wonderful place to raise children. We have enviable geography, easy access to the city, and yes, great public schools. We need to maintain our schools to ensure that our children gain the skills and education they need to get great jobs, and settle their own families in our wonderful community.

Would you like to add anything else?

With two children in the Lawrence public schools I will be a passionate advocate for public school interests on the board. That said, I value the concerns of private school families, as well as residents without children. Reasonable and low taxes; better services; access to recreational facilities; and successful, cost-effective school programs that engage young people and keep them participating in school and out of trouble make District 15 a better place for us all to live.