HCS Special Election: December 6, 2022

special election

Megan Basile Biographical Information 

photo of Megan Basile

Megan Basile holds a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Nazareth College of Rochester. Honeoye was where she completed part of her student teaching requirement and began to make connections within the school community. She and her husband Louis have called Honeoye home for the past 13 years. They reside in Richmond with their three sons. Two of which attend Honeoye now with her third son beginning Kindergarten next Fall. 

 

Professionally, Megan is the owner and operator of her own Licensed Family Daycare within the Honeoye School District. She provides care for toddlers and young children.  By providing a safe, nurturing environment within her home, she encourages Cognitive and Physical Development through Art Projects, Reading, Dramatic Play, and Exploration in Nature. Megan has served on the New York Rural Letter Carrier Association as Vice President/Treasurer of the Livingston County Chapter, served on the Honeoye COOP Nursery School Board, participated in PTA events, and has coached Honeoye Baseball along with Richmond Recreation Basketball. In her free time, she enjoys working with her family on their hobby farm and crocheting. 

 

“I am running for the Honeoye School Board because I would like to enhance the partnership with the school and community. Owning a small business in the community as a bridge for families with small children getting ready to enter the school setting, I intend to be a wonderful addition to the board. My vision is to build a better, safe community with a strong education system with an eye on fiscal responsibility.” said Basile.

Whitney Cornish Biographical Information

WCornish
Hello Honeoye!
If you are not already aware of who I am, my name is Whitney Cornish. I am Aiden
Mike, Abree Mike and Matthew Mike-Zenyuch’s Mom. I am Devan Cornish’s wife. I am
daughter to John Mike and Patricia Keep. And lastly, I am a friend to many of my fellow
community members. These are the most important things that you need to know about
me when placing your vote. I will include some of the things I am involved in, but really,
you just need to know that simply, I’m human. I’m just a Mom, a Wife, a Daughter and a
Friend who wants to do good. To be kind. And to make a positive change where change
is VERY needed.

I have been an employee in Honeoye Central School District since 2018. I started as a
substitute and with a lot of patience and determination, I worked my way into a solid
spot in the Nurses Office as Mrs. Tonkery’s secretary. Recently, I have made the choice
to pursue a different path career wise, so unfortunately that meant making the almost
unbearable choice to leave the district. This meant not only leaving staff members and a
place I love so dearly, but most importantly it meant I would not be near each and every
student that I know and have the upmost respect for. However, as we know all to well,
sometimes in life we have to make hard choices. This difficult decision ultimately led me
to my decision to run for this special Board of Education seat. By doing this, I can still be
involved, and also work to help make Honeoye the very best district that I know it can
be. I have a perspective from the inside as well as the outside. I’m a parent. I’m a
community member, I’m a safe space and I’m a former colleague. And I’m most recently
a huge advocate for mental health.

On December 6, 2021, tragically my son Aiden passed away due to suicide. Over the
past year, I have gained not only a new set of eyes, but also a gift if you will. The ability
to help others become more aware of things unseen on a daily basis that truly need
attention. Things that you don’t necessarily see unless you’ve lived through it. Since this
tragedy, my family has built the Aiden J. Mike Campership opportunity that allows one
student from Livonia where he attended, and one person from Honeoye where my two
young children attend, to go for a week long, fully paid for Wi-Fi and device free
experience. I have developed Hear Something Say Something in his honor, to make
everyone aware of the dangers that might happen when you do not speak up when you
hear/see a situation. I am certified as a Youth Mental Health First Aide Responder, and I
actually use this daily. Though I no longer am an employee of the district, I am very
much sought out for when it comes to not only these situations, but just being a
presence in many of the students lives.

Along with that, I also hold several positions on boards in town and within the school. I
am the Vice President of the PTA, and have held a seat in some position on the board
for a few years now. I am the Vice President of the Honeoye Baseball and Softball
League in town. And lastly I hold a seat as a Trustee on the Honeoye Library Board. So
with that, clearly you can see I care about not only the kids, but the town and my fellow
community members.

I did not attend college, I was certified as a healthcare professional and worked my
way up to working in an Operating Room at a nearby hospital. I quickly found that
healthcare helped me with my goal in life which is to help others, but it didn’t quite fit
with the schedule I wanted to have. So I left healthcare and pursued working in the
school so I could be on their schedule. I could be present. Be on boards, coach, and
just be involved.
If chosen, please know that I will do my absolute best to help in ways that I feel that I’m
needed at this point in time. I will take this very seriously, and I will be doing it all for
YOU. For my children, for my family and for yours.

Thank you,
Whitney Cornish
 

Carole Baker Biographical Information

CBaker
My name is Carole Baker and I am running for the open seat on the Honeoye CSD
Board of Education. I am a fiscal conservative with a long-term commitment to living
and working in the HCSD district, and I firmly believe that the success of the community
is closely linked with the success of the school. In our district we share the challenges of
keeping students and staff safe, addressing academic and emotional recovery post-
pandemic, declining enrollment, and of supporting financially stressed families. My
focus as a board member will be on decisions that have a positive impact on students,
staff, and facilities while representing the community, striving for academic excellence in
a fiscally-responsible manner.

I have taken the time over the past two years to attend many board meetings and
budget meetings, developing my understanding of just how important inclusive,
collaborative, transparent and financially sound student-centered decision making is. I
believe as part of this that district residents are owed fiscal responsibility and
transparency in return for approval of the school budget and payment of taxes. The
district’s combined fund balances have doubled in the past two years to $10.9M and
more money was collected then spent last year at a time when 50% of the elementary
students were reading below grade level and 50% of the students taking algebra
failed. I will continue to be an advocate for improvement of the budgeting process in
alignment with the comptroller’s guidance and to appropriately funding the unmet needs
of today’s students.

As someone who’s been a leader and manager of high-performing teams in research
for over thirty years, I am able to utilize my education (MS – Nazareth) and experience
to support forward momentum in this district. I have the skills to listen to concerns,
ability to manage budgets responsibly and the desire to maintain and improve student
programs. I have the necessary time to devote to being a BOE member now that I am
semi-retired and my 3 children are grown. I enjoy taking on challenges, asking
questions, sharing my different perspectives and working collaboratively with others.
It is my heartfelt belief that we owe the students every possible opportunity post-
pandemic to catch up and maximize their chances for a successful future in partnership
with the community. If elected I am committed to doing my best possible to achieve this
goal. Thank you for your vote on Dec. 6.