My name is Gary Bettan. Some of you may know me from the soccer, football, baseball or lacrosse fields. Many of you now know me because of my involvement in the recent Math rebellion that brought so much attention to our schools.

I run a successful family business and I will bring this much needed perspective  and way of thinking to the Board of Ed table. 

In  business at the end of the year you examine your bottom line and ask, how did we do? Can we do better?  You are always striving for more achievement and profit.  The same holds true for a school district with a proposed $119 million budget. How are we doing? Can we do better?  The answers are simple - We're not doing as well as we can and we need to do better.

I first became involved in our school district this past winter when I became frustrated at my children’s lack of computational math skills. The more I looked into it, the more upset I became and the more committed I became to learning about the issues and creating changes in our district – changes that would benefit every child! One of the things that became clear to me as I did my research was that the issues in our community go far beyond math, but by studying what went wrong in math, we can learn from our mistakes and move forward to a brighter future. 

This community needs new faces and fresh ideas and perspectives on the Board of Ed. I don’t claim to have all the answers or know every detail about our district and the problems and issues we face every day. But I do know that one of the things that makes our country and our governmental process so great is the system of checks and balances. We need individuals with diverse backgrounds and points of view working together to find new creative solutions to the problems that face our district. I will ask tough questions and demand good answers.

One of the most important issues of this election is the selection of a new Superintendent. I feel strongly that Dr. Brooks was out of touch with the educational goals and values of our community. He brought the disasterous Investigations Math program to our community and he was the one who's lack of accountability and poor implementation resulted in our Middle School children having some of the worst test scores on Long Island. I will make sure that the new Superintendent is committed to building a traditional, rigorous academic program based on a teacher-centered delivery model. We also need a leader with a proven record of effective management and running an efficient district.

My goal is to raise the academic standards and restore confidence in this school district; no matter what school your child attends. We have great teachers and staff who are up to the task and parents who are supportive of their children’s education. Plainview-Old Bethpage is a wonderful community. The Board of Ed’s main job is Education – to guide our school district and provide the children with best possible education. I will work hard to make our schools tops in Nassau County – our children and the taxpayers deserve no less! I am confident that I can help bring our district back to excellence.

Do you really think that the incumbents understand accountability and that they are the right people to be picking the new Superintendent?

R – Responsibility
Responsibility. One of the things I've learned as I have become more involved in our educational system is that ultimately it is the responsibility of the teachers in our classrooms to get the job done and teach our kids. But if we are going to hold them responsible, don't we owe it to our kids to make sure these teachers are given every tool possible and the best possible environment to succeed? I feel strongly that we have too many children in our classrooms, and that we need to group our children fairly so that they have the best possible situation to learn. Enrichment is not a dirty word. I want to see programs like "Project Challenge" and "Odyssey of the Mind" expanded. We need to provide the best possible classroom experience for all our children, from those with special needs to those with special gifts.

You can have an immediate impact on our school district by making sure you vote this Tuesday.
Vote for change - replace all 3 incumbents on the BOE.

Vote for me - Gary Bettan - and also vote for Lori Weinstein and Angel Cepeda. Send a clear message that the parents of this community are going to stand up and be counted.  If you do not vote, you have no one but yourself to blame if you do not like the way the election turns out or how our next Superintendent gets selected. Vote for who will get the job done and restore confidence in our schools. This isn't a popularity contest - it is about turning our district around and making it one of the BEST on Long Island.  

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you feel that our schools and our children’s education has deteriorated over the past few years?
• Do you feel our school budget and your taxes have risen beyond acceptable levels?
• Do you feel the incumbents failed to respond adequately to the Math problems in our district?
• Do you feel the incumbents gave "Rubber Stamp" approval to the Superintendent and failed to provide the needed checks and balances?
• Do you think the incumbents failed to hold the administration and themselves accountable for the problems in our district?
• Do you find it unacceptable that our children have not had clear curriculums and that it was decided it was OK that "Tests Do Not Matter"?
• Do you feel our Superintendent earned a retroactive raise? Was this really the best use of our limited tax dollars?
• Do you feel that as a parent in our district your voice has not been heard?

I think we can do much better then we have over the past few years. That is why I am running for the Board of Ed. I will provide new ideas, perspectives and creative solutions to the problems faced by our district. We need to raise the academic standards in our district while maintaining fiscal responsibility. I am an entrepreneur in a family business. Controlling costs and thinking outside the box to grow my business is what I do everyday. I will bring this same business-like, common sense approach to the BOE.

I am confident that with some new faces on the Board of Ed,
a new Superintendent, and a partnership with our teachers and community,
we can lead our district back to EXCELLENCE!