Pat-Med BOE Candidate Spotlight: Thomas Donofrio

Patch asked the three Patchogue-Medford Board of Education candidates running in the May 21 election a number of questions and filmed their video pitch to the community as to why they should be elected. Below are the questions and answers with incumbent candidate Thomas Donofrio, and in the media gallery is his video. Profiles with challenging candidate Kevin Maccabee and incumbent candidate Donald Atkins are going up Thursday and Friday respectively, which is a different order than the alphabetical and reverse alphabetical already used for the Meet the BOE Candidate Night's Opening and Closing statements. The election is "at-large," meaning that the top two-vote getters will earn the open seats.

Patch: Why have you chosen to join/continue on the Board of Education?

Thomas Donofrio: I have chosen to continue to offer my services to our community because I still believe we have much to accomplish. We have final restored the district's financial health and now we can work on improving programs and lower classroom size throughout the district.

Patch: What aspects of your background give you an advantage in being a part of the Board of Education?

Donofrio: As a corporate professional I have a strong budget and finance background. More importantly, I have spent 6 years learning how a school district functions and how to make positive changes.

Patch: What is the biggest issue that the Board of Education is going to face in the 2013-2014 school year?

Donofrio: To find sustainable funding that will allow the district to lower classroom size and add new programs throughout the district. We will also be carefully evaluating the common core standards and standardized testing plans. In addition we will see the APPR process fully implemented and review its effectiveness. 

Patch: Patchogue-Medford has suffered a lot of cuts due to state mandates, what kinds of programs would you want to bring back if you could?

Donofrio: We have fortunately been able to keep most program in spite of the cut, however this has meant combining classes causing higher classroom sizes in the High School. I would be open to adding new classes most beneficial to a greater number of students. I will be working to find sustainable funding to restore BOCES occupational classes for 11th graders.

Patch: What's one thing about the Patchogue-Medford school district that the public should know more about?

Donofrio: I would hope the public realizes that Patchogue-Medford has an outstanding music and art program. We have one of only a few Long Island districts with an Air Force JR ROTC program, and an award winning Robotics program. We have outstanding teachers and administrators dedicated to education our students and preparing them or the future. We have maintained our athletic programs and a long list of extracurricular activities. We provide an outstanding well rounded public education service. There is much to be proud of in our district.