Six candidates are vying for three spots on the Harborfields school board, one of the more competitive local school races in the May 18 election.
Running for three-year terms are incumbents Steven Engelmann, Suzie Lustig and Joseph C. Savaglio, with challengers Susan Broderick, Dr. Eve Meltzer Krief and Freda Manuel hoping to win a spot.
Krief is a well-known pediatrician in Huntington who is actively involved in numerous issues, including the “Hate Has No Home in Huntington” campaign, as well as immigration, social justice, vaccination and Covid-19 causes. She has been honored numerous times, as a woman of distinction by the Suffolk County Legislature, and by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Organization for Women. She also served as health and wellness chair of the Harborfields PTA Council.
Broderick is a Harborfields parent who has held many positions of leadership in school, including her involvement in SEPTA and a teaching assistant in the testing center of Oldfields Middle School. She was named SEPTA’s distinguished service honoree for her work in setting up the center.
Manuel said she is running as an advocate for the development of
the whole child, including academic, social and emotional enrichment, as well as cultural awareness and appreciation. She is also a Harborfields parent and ran for the board last year.
Engelmann is seeking another term and believes the Harborfields district is well positioned to return to normal as the Covid-19 epidemic eases, and cites the finances, concern for students’ well-being and teamwork as the reason for the district’s successes.
Savaglio hopes to return to the board and continue prudently management and administration of dollars while continuing to expand programs and services. He serves in law enforcement and volunteers as an EMT.
Lustig has had three children in Harborfields schools. She has been involved with many community groups, including PTA, HACEF and the GCA. She has been on the board for six years, and says, that as the current president, she has won insights into how the Board works with administration and staff to develop and implement goals and create long-term strategic plans. Her top priority: Ensuring every student is supported as the Covid epidemic eases.
The proposed budget is set at $90,316,264, an increase of $1,473,087 or 1.66%, and a tax increase of 0.86%.