South Orangetown school-board candidates emphasize special-education supports, student safety and fiscal scrutiny at forum

Tracy Hallahan and Denise Estrejardin, candidates for the South Orangetown Central School District Board of Education, appeared at a moderated candidates forum to outline priorities on academic supports, student safety and district finances ahead of the Dec. 16 election.

Both candidates said they would prioritize support for students with special needs and stronger teacher input on professional development. Denise Estrejardin, a retired elementary-school principal, pointed to recent assessment improvements and argued for earlier language instruction, saying the district should introduce second-language exposure in elementary grades to give students a head start. “The cohort last year increased on ELA by 14%, grade 5 increased by 26% in ELA, and then grade 4 in math, they both increased 9%,” Estrejardin said, citing assessment gains.

Hallahan, a teacher in a neighboring district, emphasized classroom engagement and project-based learning at the high-school level, and credited a state policy restricting phone use during the school day — ‘‘the phones being taken away from Bell to Bell’’ — with improving social interactions in her building. She also warned that heavy reliance on screens and Google Classroom has increased opportunities for cheating and said the district should explore reducing unnecessary screen time.

Both candidates addressed student mental-health supports. Hallahan recommended visible safe spaces and more psychologists and social workers at the high-school level so students have immediate places to go during crises. Estrejardin described assigning each high-school student an identified, trusted adult — a guidance counselor, social worker, teacher or other staff member — and recommended training staff in de-escalation techniques and follow-up supports.

On finances, Estrejardin said she would seek more itemized budget detail and scrutinize rising line items. ‘‘Transportation increased by, like, 13.8%.’’ she said, and noted insurance costs had grown ‘‘35%.’’ Hallahan said she would review budget reports, reevaluate outdated programs and rely on in-district staff expertise to provide professional development and reduce external costs.

Both candidates described approaches to professional development. Estrejardin emphasized data-driven PD informed by assessments and ongoing teacher surveys; Hallahan said she would serve on committees and solicit direct teacher input to ensure training is efficient and aligned to classroom needs.

In brief audience-sourced questions, Hallahan said benchmarks of success should measure individual student growth rather than a single metric, and Estrejardin said community feedback has flagged the need for greater support for students with special needs and less politicization of board meetings. Both candidates said they would serve ‘‘as long as [they] are wanted and needed’’.

The forum closed with three-minute concluding remarks from both candidates reiterating commitments to student safety, inclusion and transparency. The moderator reminded the audience to vote on December 16.

What happens next: this forum summarized positions but did not include any board votes or formal actions. Voters will decide between the candidates in the December 16 election.