Resident Wish List for East Meadow in 2014

It's a New Year. Some people vow to live a healthier lifestyle, others promise to spend more time with family and many say they will try to save money.

As millions of Americans make resolutions to improve their lives, Patch asked residents what they would do right here in East Meadow to make it an even better place to live. Here are resident responses:

• "I wish we had a town with coffee shops and small restaurants. And why r we the only town who dosent decorate east meadow ave for the holiday. Boring community."

• "My improvement for East Meadow would be to have a Board of Education who listened to residents and parents and would be responsive to issue addressed. We would have a Superintendent who also listened to parents. He would return phone calls, respond to emails, and honor requests to meet to discuss pertinent educational issues with concerned parents. My last resolution would be to change the punitive and useless Sit and Stare Policy that prevents students (as young as 3rd grade) from reading a book silently at their desks upon completion of standardized tests. It requires all students to sit motionless and silent for numerous hours whether taking the state tests or for those who have opted out. Our children are being denied their basic civil rights.... And the board won't respond when asked questions about this policy. Nor will the Superintendent.

• Another Frustrated Parent here that would like to see better communication from the elected Board of Education and the Superintendent. Actually, ANY communication would be an improvement. The lack of respect shown to parents by this School Board is unacceptable, especially given how few members of the community actually interact with the Board."

• "I don't want to get away from the issue of our children's education, because the points brought up by the people above me are vital to our children's future and sadly accurate; however, I would like to add some non education based resolutions to the list. First, I would make it mandatory for stores with larger parking lots to provide better security, not the BS marked cars wherein the occupant is reading the paper, sleeping, checking the score or Lord only knows instead of performing their job. In addition, the building owners should provide better, brighter lighting in these parking lots. Also, I would like to see the big empty stores in our town get filled with occupants that are willing to bring their businesses to East Meadow. I know a few things have opened up this year and that's great, but many large stores, even whole parts of malls, are still lying empty. Lastly, if it were up to me, I'd lower the taxes and fees on these empty buildings so interested parties can actually afford to occupy these vacancies."

• "Besides a better school board and full time kindergarten for our children...I would love to see all of the homeless living in East Meadow around our houses and in our parks to have better shelter! Also, to see more business open as well!"

• "I would like to see our school district adopt a full day kindergarten program just like the rest of Nassau County."

• "My improvement for East Meadow would be to have a school board that is run the way it should be--with transparency and having the best interests of ALL children as their top priority. It is shameful what goes on at BOE meetings!! Unfortunately, not enough East Meadow residents attend to see the blatant disrespect they have for members of the community. It is time for people to rise up and demand they act in the best interests of ALL children."

• "I too agree with all the parents above who are completely frustrated with the school board, which is being run by the superintendent. A complete conflict of interest. This is a man who is being paid $260,000.00 to run our schools with a board that oversees him to do his job. Instead we have the Superintendent clearly in charge with the board following behind him like puppy dogs. At every school board meeting it has been him who has run the meeting, and who has responded with non-answers to parents questions with little or no input from anyone who has been elected to our board. It is time we elect some new board members to correct how our school district runs. You can't fix the problems in this district with a paid administrator running the show. He has his own agenda and it does not appear to coincide with what parents want in this district. Also, I would like to see a school district that shows full transparency in everything that has to do with the common core curriculum they have embraced so wholeheartedly. It is time the tell parents about the 400 points of data mined private information they plan on taking on each child to input into Inbloom to be sold to whatever 3rd party Inbloom deems fit."

• "Full day kindergarten!"

• "Cleaning up Hempstead Turnpike and the Walmart shopping center. I no longer feel safe shopping there."

• "Full Day Kindergarten."

• 'Bringing a trader joes to where pathmark was."

• "New superintendent of schools."

• "Bring back Starbucks."

• "Full day Kindergarten"

• "Fix the streets....every street needs re surfacing."

• "I would love to see the sidestreets repaved (Ramona St. and Kingston Avenue and Birch Avenue). They are terrible and some of our taxes should be going to improve the streets. Also, the stores facing East Meadow Avenue and Hempstead Tpke. (actually the backs of the stores) make it look like a shanty town in that area. I'd be up in arms if I owned a home across from there. Those stores should be forced to paint or reface. Let's keep EM looking clean and beautiful. All of our property value goes down because of these things."

•  "I'd rather see a stew Leonard's since we can easily drive to 3 trader joes from here already."