New Slate Challenges Port Washington BOE On School Opening Policy

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A new three-person slate of candidates — running with a proposal to safely reopen schools with five days of in-person instruction — are seeking three seats on the Port Washington Board of Education this May.

Parents Adam Smith, Adam Block, and Justin Renna are looking to unseat incumbent board president Nora Johnson, vice president Elizabeth Weisburg, and trustee Larry Greenstein whose terms end in June and are up for re-election on May 18.

The trio organized “5 Days for Port,” which included a 1,000-plus person Facebook group, and they collected 1,200 signatures as part of a petition drive challenging what they saw as the school district’s “infeasible hybrid reopening plan” without a virtual-only option last summer.

The district brought back kindergarten through fifth grade full-time in October, but “under pressure,” according to a news release.

“We fought for Port Washington’s kids and won,” the news release stated. “ The success of the school year has validated our efforts, and we are proud of our role in making that happen. We represent parts of the community not represented on the current Board, and have new ideas that will help revitalize the stagnant board’s impact on public education in Port Washington.”

The three, who all have children attending school in the district, believe that it is time to rebuild “community trust after missteps and mishaps in the way they reacted to COVID in the spring, summer, and fall of 2020,” the release continued. “We will bring a new set of experiences, ideas, and expertise to the Board of Education that it painfully lacks.”

Smith, who runs strategic and financial planning, as well as the day-to-day operations, of a New York-based real estate investment and development firm, has expertise that includes facility management, construction, financial analysis, budgeting, and all things technology, he said.

Smith volunteers with the Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps and coaches youth baseball in Port Washington. He is the son of a retired New York City career educator, he and his wife, Jenny, live in Port Washington North with their three boys, ages seven, five and three, he said.

Block, who is a public health professor and the author of articles and children’s books on COVID-19, said he understands the virus “will not turn off like a light-switch.” Block hopes to bring his “expertise in health and public policy,” to the board, and he understands the “mental, emotional, and physical health risks” associated with a variety of activities, he said.

Block said he understands the science of getting children “gradually back to learning and playing together quickly and safely.” He and his wife Lauren, a Northwell physician were both born and raised in Port Washington and graduated from its Guggenheim, Weber and Schreiber schools. The couple has three children, including twins in 3rd grade and a son in kindergarten.

Renna, a seasoned professional ventilation expert with an international manufacturer of HVAC equipment, is a full-time youth athletic coach and donates his time to sports ranging from football and baseball to track, among others. Renna said he is eager to see Port Washington “athletics resume safely and quickly.”

He lives in Manorhaven with his wife, Randie, and two children, 10 and eight.

Johnson has served on the board since 2012, and prior to that, she held leadership positions in the School and Home Association, Relay for Life, and the Community Scholarship Fund, the theislandnow.com reported.

Greenstein, who has been on the board since 2004, serves on the Curriculum Committee, and has had children attend the district’s schools, said he remains on the boars to serve as a voice for people who do not have children in school, according to theislandnow.com.

Weisburg, a former teacher who is seeking her third term in office, serves on the district’s Budget and Facilities Committee, according to the news outlet.