I have known Marirose Merola since I moved to Manhasset in 2000. We have worked together on various SCA committees and as religious education volunteers at St. Mary’s. I have always known Marirose to be someone to roll up her sleeves and get involved in school matters. She believes that it is important for Manhasset residents to be aware of school district matters, in particular, the budget. Marirose co-founded Parents Aligned to Support our Schools (PASS) to educate the community about the impact the austerity budget had on educating our children. When it was realized how many residents were not registered to vote, PASS was instrumental in getting hundreds of residents to register and started the high school senior registration program. Marirose then co-chaired the Citizens Education Committee to continue to keep the community aware of the school budget process. Marirose is extremely knowledgeable about what goes into the line by line process of making a school budget. As an educator, Marirose knows how important it is to keep an eye on the bottom line and the cost to Manhasset residents without comprising our strong academic curriculum. She is up to the task and will be a great addition to the School Board.