Two seats on the Bay Shore School District Board of Education are up for election this year. Two incumbents—board trustee Susan Gargan and board president Jennifer Brownyard—are running unopposed.

A Meet the Candidates and Budget Hearing night will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 13 at the High School Little Theater. The annual budget vote and board of education elections will be held on Tuesday, May 21, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school gym lobby.

Before you vote, learn more about the incumbent candidates running for the Bay Shore Board of Education.

Susan Gargan

Susan Gargan is a proud lifelong resident of Bay Shore. Of Gargan’s two daughters, one recently graduated from Bay Shore in the Class of 2023 and now attends Arizona State University, while her other daughter is a current junior at the high school. Both of Gargan’s parents also graduated from Bay Shore.

Gargan graduated in 1986 and went on to attend SUNY Geneseo, and then St. Joseph’s College, where she completed her degree and NYS certification in special education and elementary education. She received her master’s degree from Stony Brook University and holds two permanent educational administrative certifications.

Gargan works at Eastern Suffolk BOCES, where she has worked since 1991, first as a special education teacher for 10 years, and then as an assistant principal for her remaining time. Gargan will be retiring after 33 years of service at the end of this school year.

Gargan is finishing her third term as a member of the Bay Shore Board of Education and is hoping to get re-elected for a fourth. She believes that her strong community ties and educational experience are valuable assets to the board. Gargan shared that she does not have a specific platform or agenda; rather, her agenda is what is good for students.

Gargan believes in the strength of the greater Bay Shore community and amazing school district. She hopes to continue to support, maintain, enhance, and add programs that provide valuable educational opportunities for all students, while ensuring that the decisions made and the recommendations approved are fiscally sound and sustainable.

Jennifer Brownyard

Jennfier Brownyard has lived in the Bay Shore area for over 19 years, and is a dedicated wife to her husband, Sean, and the proud mother of 16-year-old twins, Elizabeth and John. For the past 14 years, she has been the marketing manager and database systems coordinator at Brownyard Group, a local commercial insurance company in Bay Shore. 

Brownyard believes that the act of volunteering is the backbone of a successful community. She has been volunteering for her entire life by participating in good works through her childhood church’s youth program, joining in philanthropy events in her college years, and taking a leadership role in various youth programs through scouting and school-related parent groups.

Brownyard is ending her first three-year term as a board member on the Bay Shore Board of Education. When she ran three years ago, Brownyard pledged to give the position her all, working with her fellow board members, administration, and the community to help Bay Shore live up to its reputation for excellence.

Within those three years, Brownyard has held leadership positions on the board, previously serving as vice president and currently serving as president. Brownyard has also accepted a position on the Executive Committee of the Nassau/Suffolk School Board Association to give the Bay Shore School District a bigger voice. She has attended hours of continuing education classes to better herself as a board trustee and to observe how other districts are accomplishing their successes.

Brownyard shares that she believes clear, concise, and effective communication continue to be a huge priority for Bay Shore. Brownyard shares that while having built great avenues to communicate more effectively with parents and guardians, she believes the board can further improve how they communicate with the Bay Shore community who do not have school-aged children, yet continue to support the district each year.

Brownyard states that the balance of providing additional assistance for students in need, while still offering a competitive and rigorous academic environment for all students, is always a challenge. Therefore, the focus on early intervention of younger students to help them get to their grade-level in math and English will continue. Brownyard will maintain the support of the award-winning “wELLcome to Bay Shore” program, which supports the high percentage of transient students who are joining our district in the middle of their educational journey.  The amazing work of the dedicated staff who work with students with special education needs will remain a priority as well.

With the start of her second term, Brownyard will rededicate herself to the pledge she made three years ago by continuing the important work that this position is responsible for.