Schools

Candidate Profiles: Christine Basile

25-year resident running for her first term against incumbent Ellen Marcus.

Christine Basile is running for her first term on the Lynbrook Board of Education. She is challenging incumbent .

Basile said she is running because she cares about the Lynbrook community, and also feels that she can help the board improve the quality of education offered by the Lynbrook School District.

"I think I could help the board to bring some focus back to academics," she said. "I am very interested in helping our schools to provide a solid, opportunity-enhancing education for every student."

Basile said she hopes that Lynbrook can become one of the best districts in the country, though she acknowledged that the near future will be challenging financially.

"State aid is being cut, and our taxes are already too high — we need to become more efficient," she said. "We need to look into the educational benefits and financial costs of our programs and operations."

Speaking on a hot topic facing the district — the proposed athletic complex on the May 17 ballot — Basile said she does not support moving forward with the project at this time.

"While remaining in full support of our athletic programs, I do not think the proposed athletic complex at South [Middle School] is a good solution for our community. I think that grass is preferable to turf; that the size of this project will offset the harmony and balance of the neighborhood; and that most importantly, it is not fiscally prudent to incur such huge expense at this time."

Basile has one child in the district. Her community involvement includes membership in the West End School PTA, where she serves as the group's curriculum representative.

The 25-year Lynbrook resident has a master's degree in economics and a bachelor's degree in mathematics, both from SUNY at Stony Brook. She is now a full-time mom. She previously worked as a software developer and business analyst for JP Morgan Chase.

The vote on school board candidates, the district budget, and two other propositions will take place on Tuesday, May 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.


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