Why I’m Running

A district worth protecting. A future worth preparing for.

Colin Specter, Candidate for the Half Hollow Hills Board of Education

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read this. If you’re here, you care about the future of our district, and that’s the same reason I’m running.

I’m a proud girl-dad to four daughters and a Dix Hills homeowner. I married into a multi-generational Dix Hills family. My wife, her siblings, and many of her cousins all grew up here, attending HHH from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Two of our girls are already in elementary school in this district, with two more on the way.

By day, I’m a business executive in technology, and I advise a family-owned paper manufacturer right here on Long Island that employs hundreds of our neighbors. I run budgets and P&Ls for a living. I’m also a product of public schools, wood shop, and varsity sports myself, which is why I believe so strongly that great teachers, caring coaches, and strong programs shape kids in ways that go far beyond a test score.

Half Hollow Hills is one of the best districts in New York State.

That’s not an accident. Our Board, our administrators, our teachers, and our staff are working hard under real constraints. Fifty-three cents of every dollar in the proposed 2026–27 budget goes directly to instruction, exactly where it should. I’m not running to change what’s working. I’m running to protect it, and to bring a longer time horizon to the table.

What I see when I read the budget with fresh eyes.

I read the proposed 2026–27 budget the way I read a P&L: looking for where the math compounds. Three things stood out.

First, state aid is declining by nearly $900,000 next year, while spending is going up over $10 million. We’re closing that gap with the tax levy and an accelerated draw on reserves, almost $20 million in one-time money this year, up from $15 million last year. That trajectory matters. Reserves are finite, and future Boards inherit whatever we draw down.

Second, contract transportation alone is jumping 17.7% in a single year. That’s $2.2 million in one line item. It deserves a closer look at how those contracts were bid and whether route consolidation makes sense as enrollment patterns evolve.

Third, the housing developments in our pipeline will bring significant new enrollment into our schools. The Board itself has acknowledged we may need to reactivate facilities we currently rent out. The tax revenue from those developments doesn’t come close to covering the per-pupil cost of educating those kids. If nothing changes, those pressures compound year after year, and the burden falls on every taxpayer in our community.

What I’ll bring to the Board.

The current Board is doing the best it can with the time they have. What I’d add is a longer planning horizon. I’m thinking about what this district looks like in 2034, not just whether we balance next year.

That means asking the harder questions on transportation contracts and reserve drawdown. It means making sure new development pays for the costs it creates, before approvals, not after. And it means investing in the whole student: athletics, music, arts, and hands-on learning like shop and CTE, because those are the experiences that shape kids beyond the test score.

What I’ll focus on.

Academic excellence. Keep HHH among the top-ranked districts in New York and expand opportunity for every student.

The whole student. Protect and invest in athletics, music, arts, and hands-on learning, so every kid can find their thing.

Fiscal responsibility. Apply the same budget discipline I use running a business to every taxpayer dollar the district spends.

Support for teachers and staff. Attract, support, and retain the excellent teachers and staff who make HHH work. They’re the single biggest driver of student outcomes.

Safe and secure schools. Every child deserves a school that’s physically secure and emotionally safe. I’ll prioritize modern safety infrastructure, threat prevention, and swift response to bullying and harassment.

Responsible growth. Require impact studies on new development and make sure the cost of growth doesn’t fall on existing taxpayers.