Malverne Teacher and Community Activist Vies for School Board

The name Sherwyn Besson is well-known in the Malverne school district.

As a parent, teacher and founder of the an organization devoted to mentoring the young men in the neighborhood, Besson has been very out-spoken about the areas he believes Malverne's schools are lacking.

The part-time  business teacher is probably most known right now for being one of the plaintiffs in that was filed against the Malverne school district in December 2011, which alleges racial discrimination. 

"The lawsuit was born out of a desire to see that our children get the best education possible," Besson, 43, told Patch. "It was a personal decision that forced me to defend my actions and livelihood. It took a lot of courage and I could've let things slide by, but I'm a fighter and I will fight for our children, not just the ones on the Lakeview side."

That inner fighter has inspired Besson, a father of four, to once again put his job on the line, and take a stand for the students in the Malverne school district, as he competes for a spot on the Board of Education. Besson is running in the May 15 election against two other residents - Joann Krudis and Joey Bottita - for the seat that Trustee Patrick Cooonan . 

It was a "tough" decision for Besson to make, he says. If he does win, he will have to resign from his current faculty position, ending a seven-year career as an educator in the district.

"I understand the ramifications of stepping down," he said. "It's a big loss of income and I would have to leave my students, but our district is in a real critical stage ... I want to be a part of the new Malverne that evolves."

And Besson, who was born in Trinidad but moved to New York when he was 17, is very optimistic about what the future of the Malverne school district could look like.

"This district can be great," says Besson, adding that Malverne has the potential to be one of the top five school districts on Long Island. "But our community has to dare to be great."

To get there, Besson says the district is going to have to make some sacrifices, including rethinking its "allegiance to programs that have little academic mileage."

Instead, he wants to see the district make academics a priority and invest its resources into raising student achievement and learning.

"We need writing camp or science camp as opposed to some of the other camps in our district," he says.

He also takes issue with the fact that the district does not have an English Department Chair (The proposed 2012-2013 budget calls for the Social Studies Chair to take on these responsibilities.) and yet it has two assistant superintendents in central administration. "English is too critical," he says. "If they can't read effectively they can't do any subject right." 

As a teacher and a community leader, he's seen far too many students graduate from Malverne and not go on to a four year college and a staggering amount have even flunked out of Nassau Community College (NCC).

"They can't compete," he says. "It destroys our community when our kids can't function as productive citizens."

Instead, he'd like to see more students in the position of his daughter, who was recently accepted into a four-year college with a full scholarship. 

"They should atleast be getting $5,000-$10,000 in scholarship money, because parents can't pay full price," he says. "Too many are only prepared for community college ... but if we prepare them for a Ivy League School -whether they go or not - at least they are prepared for the best."

Although his daughter is in a good place now, heading off to a selective college in September, Besson also points to her experience as an example of how the Malverne school district is failing to prepare its students to compete. She was valedictorian of Howard T. Herber Middle School in 2008, but when she took the entrance exam for Long Island Lutheran High School, her Math score was average and her English was below average.

"I did the right thing. I was on my daughter and monitored her closely but the system let me down as it has let other parents down," Besson says.

Besson thinks the district needs to start preparing its students for both college and life beyond, much earlier and offer more instruction in business, literacy and technology.

"They need to function effectively in this century," Besson says, adding that right now middle school students don't even have computer classes. 

If elected to the school board, Besson says he would work to bring more transparency to the system and reform policies so there is less bureaucracy.

"I want to know where every dollar is going," says Besson, who in addition to a Master's degree in Education, holds another Master's in Business from Polytech and a B.A. in economics from St. Frances College. "The last two audit reports are discomforting.I'm shocked that residents haven't demanded a serious change. These are not numbers to be proud of." 

He'd also focus on improving the relations between the board and community members, and encourage more residents, including those without students in the district to get involved. 

"I'd appeal to all residents," he said. As a parent to students who have attended the district's public schools and also privates schools, he thinks he can relate to many of the residents. Since he was once a single dad (He's since remarried.) he says he's also sensitive to the needs of single parents. Plus, he can understand the concerns of teachers and students, especially minorities, having worked in the classrooms.

"Our education affects our entire community," he says. "We really need to decide who we want to be. I'm thankful for the opportunity to try to be a part of the solution."

The Malverne school board election will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 15 at Howard T. Herber Middle School. The Lakeview NAACP will host a candidates forum on April 24 at 8 p.m.