Student Quinn Bedell overcame challenges to win a West Islip school board seat
Bedell, 18, said he plans to bring the urgency and firsthand experience of a student to the seven-member board. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Quinn Bedell has a knack for kicking down barriers, most recently doing so by being elected, at age 18, to the West Islip school board.
Bedell developed that talent at an early age, overcoming the reading disorder dyslexia pretty much on his own. His condition went undiagnosed until high school, so reading assignments were, in his own words, torture.
But he found ways to cope, skimming assignments and using audiobooks, to become a straight-A student.
The West Islip High School senior used that same determination to win a spot on the school board May 16 in the community where he was raised. He ran as a write-in candidate, which made it harder, having to persuade people to go to the polls and add his name to the list of candidates for the unpaid position.
WHAT TO KNOW
- West Islip High School senior Quinn Bedell, 18, won a seat on the district's school board as a write-in candidate.
- Bedell joins some 500 other students serving on school boards across the country, according to the National Student School Board Member Association.
- The Eagle Scout said his candidacy was inspired by his seventh-grade social studies teacher, the late Tom Compitello, who served on the school board and became a mentor to him.
"It was a little more challenging, but I campaigned that much harder," he said, noting that his dog, a black German short-haired pointer named Hazel, helped by donning a yellow poncho that said, "Write-in Quinn Bedell — West Islip Board of Education."
Bedell said he plans to bring the urgency and firsthand experience of a student to the seven-member board. He wants to help special education programs, because he's in one due to his dyslexia.
The teen joins some 500 other students serving on school boards across the country, according to the National Student School Board Member Association. Bedell ran for one of three open seats on the board and was the second-highest vote-getter, with 1,365 votes, of five candidates in the at-large election. State law allows anyone 18 and older to serve on a school board, and Bedell will have full voting powers during his three-year term.
'He goes for it'
His mother, Denise Bedell, said she's "super-proud" of her son's achievement, but not necessarily surprised. He's already an Eagle Scout, vice president of the high school PTSA and does landscaping work for dozens of local homes, with the help of a few kids in the neighborhood.
"I know my son. When he puts his mind to something, he goes for it," she said.
Campaigning became a family affair. The Bedell family handed out flyers at local churches and at a supermarket. They knocked on door after door through West Islip. They printed banners and hired five billboard trucks with his name on them.
Bedell said his candidacy was inspired by his seventh-grade social studies teacher, Tom Compitello, who served on the school board and became a mentor to him. Compitello died in January, and while attending his funeral, several people suggested to Bedell that he run for the board.
He struggled with the decision so long that he missed the deadline for candidate registration, so he had to run as a write-in candidate, he said.
During the campaign, Bedell visited Compitello's mother. She welcomed him into her home with cookies and iced tea. They talked about her son and how times have changed in West Islip.
"She told me stories of his Navy days, and also told me how often he spoke about me. I didn’t know that I was as inspiring to him as he was to me," Bedell said on a Facebook posting that included photos of their meeting. "I am more determined now than ever to keep his spirit alive and do all that I can do to make him and our community proud."
West Islip Superintendent Paul Romanelli said he's impressed with the young man. During a "listening tour" Romanelli made in the fall, he visited the high school and invited students to sit and talk with him.
"Quinn actually took me up on it," Romanelli said. "He told me some things. He's a kid always advocating for students."
Challenges ahead
Looking ahead, Bedell said he plans to attend Farmingdale State College in the fall, studying horticulture management, even as he continues with his duties on the school board. He's gathered some experience serving on the high school Parent Teacher Student Association, helping to work through problems such as vaping in the school bathrooms.
But he knows that serving on the school board is another level. He'll have to hold his own during budget negotiations. West Islip just approved a budget of $134 million. The board also has a hand in approving curriculum, evaluating the superintendent and managing the district's properties and personnel.
He already has some strong opinions. For instance, he favors armed guards at schools.
"My latest opinion is that I support armed guards, with their guns concealed, with them being properly trained and vetted," he said. "I think it will provide a sense of safety and security."
At the same time, Bedell said he's open to listening to opposing views on issues, and that in the end, he wants everyone to "be comfortable and feel safe" in school.
School board President Anthony Tussie said the board has been looking into providing armed guards at schools and expects to render a decision soon.
"We've been doing a lot of research on it, talking to other districts and the police," he said. "In the very beginning, I was against it. The research we've done has changed my mind."
Several Long Island school districts use armed security, including Montauk, Tuckahoe and West Babylon, and others are considering it.
Opponents of such a move say, in general, that they believe bringing weapons into schools opens the door to more violence, and that having armed guards doesn't necessarily mean safer schools.
Tussie said he looks forward to being a mentor to the new member.
"My advice is to be open-minded and empathetic to both sides of an issue," Tussie said.
Bedell said he knows he has to learn the ropes, right down to how to act when angry parents criticize the board in a public meeting.
But the teen said he expects to be treated with the respect afforded other board members. And he's willing to earn that, studying board-related materials and familiarizing himself with issues.
"I might not be the most vocal board member. I like to gather the facts, rather than speak in the heat of the moment," he said.
Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
