Residents in Roslyn will be voting on May 17 on three candidates for the board of education, a $122 million school budget, $5 million budget for the Bryant Library, school bus purchases and a transfer from two capital reserve funds up to approximately $4.5 million for athletic renovations.

The Roslyn Board of Education adopted a $122,145,193 budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year on April 12. 

The budget calls for a 2.93% increase in spending from the current year and a 2.48% increase in the tax levy, which falls under the state tax levy limit of 3.7%. 

The proposed tax levy totals $101,148,675. 

Running unopposed for vacant seats left by Clifford Saffron and Steven Litvack who are not seeking are residents Alison Gilbert and Robert Koonin. Bruce Valuari, who currently sits on the board, is running for re-election unopposed. 

Gilbert, a clinical psychologist and parent of two in the district, said he is running to help “maintain, preserve and contribute to the quality of work of the Roslyn Board of Education,” she said. 

A native Long Islander, Gilbert graduated from Cornell University and earned her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Gilbert said she believes she has the professional skillset and personal experience in the district in order to keep up the board’s transparency, commitment and warmth, which she said she was initially impressed by when coming to the district. 

“I believe that my background and experience in the field of clinical psychology, as well as my experience as an involved parent, have given me the analytical, critical thinking and communication skills necessary to make a strong contribution to the Roslyn Board of Education,” Gilbert said. 

Koonin, a healthcare and real estate partner, has been involved in Roslyn as a coach for his daughters’ flag football and booster basketball teams, among other things. 

“Having lived in Roslyn for the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to watch my daughters grow and learn in an incredible academic environment,” Koonin said. “As a mentor to numerous Accelerator and Incubator teams at the High School, I have seen the incredible opportunities afforded to our Roslyn students. I can think of no better way to volunteer my time than to help assure the continued success of our school system and ensure that our students receive the best possible educational opportunities.”

Kooning said he believes he can bring a skillset to the board that enables both teamwork and collaboration. 

“Professionally, I help my clients think ahead, and solve problems by using a pragmatic and collaborative approach,” Koonin said. “I will use those same skills to work productively with my fellow board members to solve any problem facing the district and make logical decisions that focus solely on the best interest of our children and community.” 

If elected, Koonin said he would focus on keeping kids in a sense of normalcy throughout the end of the COVID-19 pandemic while focusing on well-being for both students and staff. 

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical well-being and mental health of students and teachers around the country has been placed at the forefront of our collective consciousness,” Koonin said. “My top priority, if elected, will be to ensure the continued physical and mental wellbeing of our students, teachers and faculty. Roslyn has placed a high emphasis on the physical and mental health of their students, and I will work with the Board to further expand these and other advanced initiatives.”

Valauri, who is seeking his fifth three-year term, moved to Roslyn from Manhattan in the mid 2000s because of how impressed he and his wife were with the district. The incumbent said when he initially ran in 2010 that the current trustees at the time did not have any children that were in the district anymore and saw a board he can achieve a lot of things with through cohesion and transparency. 

“One thing that was apparent at the time was how transparent the school district is which was a byproduct of what had transpired a number of years before,” Valauri said. “I think that’s something that is very valuable in terms of how we operate and how we continue to operate.”

Valauri said a main focus of his is always trying to maintain a balance of being fiscally responsible on behalf of homeowners and taxpayers while also maintaining the standard of excellence and education that Roslyn is known to provide. He credited the district administration with always working together with the board in order to enhance the district through capital improvements or new courses, among other things.

“We have wonderful faculty that are very much on board because all these things are very exciting and positive,” Valauri said. “We also get a response from the community because this is what they want and this is what they want for their children.”

Along with the school’s budget and board of education candidates, residents will also vote on a $5 million budget for the Bryant Library and authorizing the school board to purchase school buses and vans for the district and relating equipment at an estimated cost not to exceed $360,000. 

The final proposal on the Roslyn ballot will authorize the board of education to use up to approximately $4.5 million from two different capital reserve funds established in 2015 and 2017 for nine different projects including a new walkway and stair to the existing press box, perimeter fencing replacements, screen plantings and gates installation, scoreboard renovation, track resurfacing, turf field replacement, drain cover replacement, track and field runways, pits and jumps installations, track equipment storage building replacement, field lighting and Roslyn High School classroom upgrades. 

Voting will be held in the north gymnasium of Roslyn High School on Tuesday, May 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.