Schools

Candidate Profile: Kevin J. Rea

Q&A with Plainview Board of Education candidates.

This week, leading up to Plainview's school budget vote and school board election on Tuesday, Patch is running profiles of the candidates: All of the candidates were asked the same questions: Here is our fourth and final candidate:

  • Candidate: Kevin J. Rea
  • Profession: A trustee for the State University of New York & The Higher Education Services Corporation.
  • Other: President of the SUNY Student Assembly, President of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Fraternity, Lifelong Resident of Plainview.

These are the questions: 

Q1: Why are you running for the school board?


A: I am running for the school board because this community thrives with a top tier school district among its other advantages. To continue this tradition, we need leadership that is able to take on the challenges of running a school district As a product of public education in this state, I will be committed to bringing my experience to raise the standards of our graduates and give them the skills they will need to be college or job ready. 

Q2: What are your primary qualifications that makes you (or would make you) an asset to the board and the community at large?

A: I am currently a board member for the State University of New York Board of Trustees. SUNY, the largest system of public education in the country, is an $8 billion dollar enterprise composed of 64 different colleges, 467,000 students, 88,000 employees, and over 7,000 degree programs. Along with my colleagues, I oversee the system's operations at its highest level. In addition, I am also a trustee for the Higher Education Services Corporation, a new York State entity that oversees the Tuition Assistance Program, the largest needs-based grant program in America. Lastly, I am president of the SUNY Student Assembly, which is an organization legally established to represent all of the students enrolled in a SUNY institution. I oversee a staff of 30-plus people, our annual budget, and work with individuals on campus issues. All of these positions have given me the experience of serving on boards and representing large constituency groups. I would be the largest asset in our advocacy for the district, as I have extensive experience advocating in Albany for educational issues over the last four years.

Q3: Although there are many, what do you see as the biggest issue confronting Plainview schools?

A: While the district has many challenges in its path, the biggest issue confronting our schools is balancing the amount of time we have to educate our students with the increasing amount of learning required of them to be successful. Years ago, there was not a need to set aside class time to show students how to learn to use technology such as Powerpoint or use IPads. Now, if we neglect to give them these skills, they will suffer greatly when it comes time for college. Therefore, we will need to analyze how to optimize the time we have with them.

Q4: Standardized testing and unfunded mandates are hot-button issues: How would you work to address these issues?

A: To address these issues, we must join our stakeholders in Plainview Old-Bethpage, Long Island, New York State, and around the country to lobby our legislators to let our teachers teach and school districts set the policy. These 'one size fits all' programs that are coming down from the top are good-faith efforts to attempt to fix the problem, however they will end up causing more harm than good. Since all of these tests and mandates are written into the law, we must ensure that our district is in compliance so as to not jeopardize our students' education. But we must reach out to those who make these policies and get our legislators to act before it permanently damages our educational structure. 


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