1. education
2. school

2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
Candidate Noreen Alam
DBN: 30Q148
30Q148
30Q148
30Q148
30Q148
IEP: No
No
No
No
No
ELL No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Applicant VOLUNTEER IN PTA
Background
Personal
Statement
Candidate Tahmina Begum
DBN: 30Q258
IEP: No
ELL No
30Q258
Yes
No
30Q152
No
No
30Q152
Yes
No
Applicant Currently I am in the S L T team, and I am also the vice president in PA at PS. Q,152
Background
Personal
Statement
Candidate Eileen Violeta Bendoyro
Applicant
Background
Personal
Statement
DBN: 30Q329
IEP: Yes
ELL No
30Q329
No
Yes
I have been serving on CEC 30 for a year and a half. Visiting schools and helping parents work through
the DOE system is one of my goals. When my child started attending East Elmhurst Community
School I became a member of the parent volunteer corp. As a member of parent volunteer corp,we
help students during lunch as well as during recess. I also volunteer in the school program. As a
learning leader I help with the children`s homework and supervise a small group of students who are
english language learners.
As a parent ,I want to be involved in the advancement of the schools and the district . I have been a
part of this community for many years and I want to make sure that the voice of this community is
being heard loud and clear by the district and DOE. I am out spoken and believe that the improvement
of children`s education is something worth fighting for . Continuing to serve on CEC 30 would be an
honor and privilege.
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2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
Candidate KA-TRINA C HARRIS
DBN: 30Q234
IEP: Yes
ELL No
Applicant SINCE MY CHILDREN STARTED SCHOOL, I HAVE VOLUNTEERED AND HELPED. FOR
Background MANY YEARS, I SERVED ON THE PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD INCLUDING THE
POSITION OF PRESIDENT FOR 4 YEARS. I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING
ON CEC30 FOR 2 YEARS AND HOPE I GET OPPORTUNITY CONTINUE. PROVIDING A
VOICE TO THE COMMUNITY IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
Personal I HAVE BEEN SERVING ON COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNICL 30 FOR 2 YEARS. AS
Statement A PARENT OF CHILDREN ATTENDING D30 PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ONE IN HIGH SCHOOL
AND ONE WITH AN IEP, I FEEL IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO GIVE BACK AND
ASSIST. DURING MY TENURE, I HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH PARENTS
IMPROVING SAFETY & TAFFIC CONDITIONS AROUND THEIR SCHOOLS AND
EXPLORED WAYS TO IMPROVE PARENT ENGAGEMENT. PARENTS KNOW ME IN
THE COMMUINTY AND I LISTEN!! I BRING THEIR CONCERNS TO THE COUNCIL
AND APPROPRIATE DOE STAFF.
Candidate Cesar Eduardo Tejeira
DBN: 30Q148
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant I'm the PTA co-president of PS 148. I also have a daughter in special education.
Background
Personal I am a dedicated parent to my family and to my daughters. I have much to learn but also much to give
Statement to the community. I hope to represent each and every one of the parents of my school and district.
Thank you.
Candidate Clover Leah Yordanova
DBN: 30Q069
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant I am an Intervention Specialist in a Charter school and have worked as grades 2,4 and 3 teacher in
Background public school.
Personal Every child deserves a great education! As parents, we need to do our best to be the change we want to
Statement see!
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2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
Candidate Valarie Lamour
Applicant
Background
Personal
Statement
DBN: 30Q291
IEP: No
ELL No
30Q166
No
Yes
I was selected and then voted onto the CECD30 board twice with the highest number of votes (2013) in
the district and all of Queens. As a member of CECD30 I have had the opportunity to establish new
residential zoning lines in our district, making sure that community input is always paramount. I have
been a strong supporter of translation services for our non-english speaking parents and have a track
record of support to the special education population in our district. With community support we
successfully saved PS122’s Middle School G&T district program from being abolished and
successfully lobbied for a G&T City-wide middle school program in our district. Also as a CEC board
member, we advocated to preserve our NEST program at PS 76 by avoiding a co-location in that
building and stopped the Voice Charter School from only taking older five year olds into their
Kindergarten lottery. My advocacy has also driven me to solicit with my surrounding community and
politicians to stop the closing of Long Island City High School. I have served on the SLT at PS166, in
Long Island City since 2009 and I am currently Co-President of the Parent Teacher Association of
PS166.
I feel that my efforts and those of my fellow board members I have served with on the Community
Education Council and the community relations that I have established within Educational District 30
have demonstrated that I have been an effective and a positive advocate for my community. I believe it
is important to give back and serve our communities and this is the way I have chosen to do it, for the
past six years. I enjoy helping parents and children get the resources for education that we are all
promised and entitled to as New York City and New York State residents. I will always support the
efforts of my neighbors and community on how we feel educational policy should be implemented in
our city. I feel that education is one the most important factors in keeping our City prepared and
relevant for our future and our children’s futures.
Candidate Mafijul Islam Bhuiyan
DBN: 30Q166
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant I am involved in Bangladesh society INC. Which is a none profit organization. In that organization my
Background position in public relation and publicity Sectery. We do have civic program for the community to help
people.
Personal I am a father and I committed my self to give my children best education as much possible. My older
Statement boy is attending second grade in public school gifted talented program.
Candidate Eugenia Fickens
DBN: 30Q286
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant Preschool educator at Astoria Blue Feather Head Start working with typically developing and
Background developmentally delayed students. Before working as a Child Development Associate I served on the
Policy Council for two terms as the Secretary. Currently serves as an SLT member as a parent at
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2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
TYWLS of Astoria..
Personal I am a mother, student, teacher and homemaker. Currently I am employed at Astoria Blue Feather
Statement Head Start, an AHRC organization. My first position at AHRC was a volunteer, intern, substitute
teaching assistant and now a Child Development Associate. I have observed and experienced
developmentally and culturally diverse preschoolers for over eight years and throughout the years I
have applied teaching strategies for an entire classroom, groups of children and individual children. I
am proud of my ability to do so effectively. I am a firm believer in parent involvement, parents
advocating for their children, bridging the gap from school to home and parents being their child's first
teacher. I have a strong work ethic that I have carried my entire life that I attribute to observing my
parents. I welcome the opportunity to be a positive model for my child.
Candidate Nazmul Quayyum
DBN: 30Q230
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant I have been in PTA ( Treasurer from 2006-2011 at PS 69) and active SLT member in PS 69 from
Background 2006 -2011. Currently i am the PTA co-president at IS 230 & an active SLT member at IS 230 from
2012 to present. I am also involved in helping students of my neighborhood to understand and learn
english, also a volunteer reader to the 1st & 2nd grader at Queens library.
Personal Since my daughter statred public school at the age of 5, i got involved into the NYC public school
Statement sysytem by joining the PTA, SLT for the elementary and middle school. I learned lot about the NYC
public school and try to explore the knowledge to the parents and wanted to involve more with special
activities related to parents and kids.
Candidate Myrna Sobeyda Palacios
DBN: 30Q228
IEP: No
ELL Yes
Applicant In the past, I have participated in the parent leadership of my daughter's school. I have a Learning
Background Leaders ID. I also participate in the parent education committee of Make the Road NY, Queens. We
advocate for seats in schools and after school programs. I sometimes facilitate the parent committee
meetings.
Personal
Statement
Candidate Fatma Munir
DBN: 30Q286
08X014
IEP: No
No
ELL No
No
Applicant
Background
Personal
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2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
Statement
Candidate Nick Konstantakos
DBN: 30Q002
IEP: No
ELL No
DBN: 30Q152
30Q152
30Q152
IEP: No
No
No
ELL No
No
No
Applicant
Background
Personal
Statement
Candidate Monica Cabrera
Applicant none
Background
Personal
Statement
Candidate Nuala O’Doherty
Applicant
Background
Personal
Statement
DBN: 30Q145
IEP: No
ELL Yes
30Q230
No
No
30Q149
No
Yes
I have 3 children currently in schools in Jackson Heights. I have served on the School Leadership
Teams of PS 222, PS 149, IS 145 and IS 230 over the last 10 years. I have learned that it is critical to
voice parent concerns and to work through the SLT to make change. I have been PTA president or
involved in the PTAs of both PS 222 and PS 149. I am also a director of the Jackson Heights
Beautification Group. Over the last 5 years, I have organized a “Meet the Principal Night― so
parents of children entering kindergarten in Jackson Heights can learn about our local schools. It is
critical that we educate our parents about the NYC School system. I believe that involved parents make
good schools. My 3 children have all been in dual language programs since pre-kindergarten and I am
currently working to expand dual language to IS 230. I also have 2 older children who were English
Language Learners and attended Newcomers High School (Q555) in Long Island City.
School are more than systems to educate our children, they are the heart of our communities. Schools
must work better with parents and other community partners to build a system were parents,
community members and school work together. For the last 10 years I have work tirelessly to improve
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2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
my neighborhood schools, but it took me a long time to understand the Department of Education and
how I can make a positive impact. We need to educate our parents when they first enter the system on
how the process work and how they can best advocate for their children. The best way to improve our
schools is to have active parent involvement, but this take an investment. In district 30, many parents
did not attend NYC school and they do not understand the bureaucracy of the system. I believe it is the
role of the CEC to change that. We must educate, inform and empower our parents to become
effective advocates for their children. I have had children attend 5 different schools over the last 10
years. I have attended more PTA and SLT meetings than I could count, I think that with this
experience, I can now work at a higher level so that I can use this experience to influence other schools.
Candidate Adriana Lynch
DBN: 30Q002
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant I am currently serving as a member of the P.S 2 School Leadership Team
Background
Personal My name is Adriana Lynch and I grew up in the NYC public school system. I have always felt proud of
Statement the education that I have received in this wonderful city. Now my daughters attend public school and I
look forward to giving back in any way that I can. Our public school system can thrive and achieve great
things. Policy makers, educators and parents working together can make anything possible. The
children of our great city deserve a top notch education. My goal is to be an informed advocate for
positive progress in public school education.
Candidate Robert Francis Novak
DBN: 30Q122
IEP: No
ELL No
Applicant I have been a high school English teacher for the past 12 years. I began my career as a teacher at
Background Richmond Hill High School, and I currently teach at Manhasset High School. Because the schools
serve very different populations, I have a unique perspective on the current educational climate. I have
worked closely through the years with a wide range of student populations, including special education,
ELL, autism-spectrum, and honors-level students. My daughter, Stella, is a Kindergarten student in
Astoria's PS 122, a school that educated both my mother and grandmother. My son, James, will follow
her there in two years. My wife, Destiny, is also a high school English teacher at Aviation High School.
We are educators and parents with a passion for helping this system be the best it can be!
Personal I am passionate about preserving good-quality education in a safe and nurturing environment for all of
Statement New York City's children. Many like to say that the system is "broken," but I don't think that's true; I
think it has been bent to its breaking point, and is in desperate need of some relief. I understand that
the public schools of the greatest city on earth have complex problems, and that the solutions for these
problems will be harder to find in a political environment that seems to add only more obstacles and
challenges. We deserve better. As a parent, an educator, and a citizen, I am shocked and dismayed at
the idea that changes are being made to the public education system by those who have little to no
experience in the classroom. The decisions that will shape the future of our public schools need to be
made with the input of its hard-working teachers, its dedicated administrators, and its passionate
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2015 NYC Education Council Elections
Candidate Profiles for
Community Education Council 30
parents. These are the people who make good education happen. If I am fortunate enough to serve on
a Community Education Council, I will serve as the voice of a concerned parent and educator, and I
will work with the Department of Education to help find the solutions needed to best serve the needs of
our children.
Candidate Ivan Beacco
DBN: 30Q070
IEP: No
ELL No
IEP: Yes
ELL No
Applicant volunteer as chef with wellness in the school program
Background
Personal
Statement
Candidate Lynda Susan Kennedy
DBN: 30Q321
Applicant For nearly 20 years I have worked in education, first at a private progressive school, then in museums,
Background followed by working on multi-year Teaching American History Grant funded projects in several New
York City public schools in CSD 5 and CSD 17. I hold an MS Ed from Bank Street College of
Education and a PhD in Urban Education from the CUNY Graduate Center. For several years I
served as an adjunct on the faculty of the Hunter College School of Education in the Curriculum and
Teaching department and currently teach in the MCNY masters in education program. While directing
the Teaching and Learning Department of the New York Public Library I worked to expand our young
adult literacy program as well as our community-based literacy centers which offer programs to support
English language learners, as well as native speakers who struggle due to learning challenges.
Personal As a lifelong educator, I am concerned with the setting aside of authentic assessments in favor of the
Statement one size fits all approach. Good assessments inform instruction, highlight student strengths and give
direction for improvement. Much time and money now is poured into "assessments" that give none of
this information, where the cut score for passing is moved each year and a disconnected rating is
returned months after the school year ends. I am concerned for students with learning challenges as
they move through the system. Dyslexics who can comprehend beautifully when allowed to use an
audio book are not allowed that support. Students with Dyscalculia who can show what they know on a
math assessment using manipulatives are not allowed to use them. This is like failing a near sighted
student on a vision test when not allowing them glasses. How can these and other students hope to pass
the current tests – including Regents – and graduate? It is time that the policy setters listen to good
research about assessments, about students with learning challenges, about learning in general and rechannel that money to impactful initiatives instead.
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