School Board Candidate Spotlight: Chris Schiavo

Chris Schiavo, one of five candidates running for three open spots on the Half Hollow Hills Board of Education, is a lifelong resident of Long Island, having graduated from Deer Park High School in 1984 and C.W. Post in 1988.

He was commissioned in the Air Force after college until he joined the Suffolk County Police Department in 1992. After becoming a police officer, Schiavo remained a member of the Air Force Reserves, which he has now been a part of for more than 26 years.

In addition to his reserve duty with the Air Force, he serves as a deputy liaison director with the Air Force Academy on Long Island, where he interviews and prepares local men and women who are entering the Air Force.  He has been a helicopter pilot with the police department’s aviation unit for seven years.

Schiavo served as chief of the Deer Park Fire Department from 2006-08 and has been with the department for more than 20 years. He also serves as a board member of the Sons of Italy, is a member of the Knights of Columbus, is on the PTA board, and is a chairperson for the Community Awareness Committee.

Schiavo and his wife, Joann, have two children, in third and fifth grade, who attend .

“Because I have a very diverse background," he said, "I have a lot of experiences in a lot of different organizations and areas, I feel I could do a good job there and make it a positive change for the board."

Schiavo said he thinks that his leadership experience would serve him well as a school board member.

“I’m used to dealing with a lot of different problems, from running this fire department, to being in the military, to being a police officer for 19 years," he said. "I’m used to dealing with the public and used to dealing with problems.”

Schiavo said he thinks keeping the budget balanced is the most pressing issue for the HHH district right now.

“Any money that in the past we’ve received, it seems every year we’re getting less and less of that," he said. "And at the same time, our fixed costs from the school district and our operating costs keep on going up and up.

“I think the biggest challenge is balancing the decreasing assistance we’re getting from the federal and state government versus the increasing cost that’s associated with running the school district the way it is now.”

Current school board president Anne Marie Sorkin, along with trustees Carole Catapano and Jay Marcucci, are not seeking re-election. Joining Schiavo on the ballot are Diana Acampora, Paul Peller, Maria Holmquist and Betty DeSabato.

A meet the candidates night is slated for May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at High School West.

The school board election and a vote on a proposed will take place on May 17.

Stay tuned for profiles of the other school board candidates.

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