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Community Corner

Farmingdale Faces: Tina Diamond

Educating the future is this resident's top priority.

Not a school board meeting goes by without Tina Diamond recalling an experience at  -- a sense of nostalgia and pride she hopes to to pass on to the current generation.

“My biggest advocacy is public education,” said Diamond, a lifelong Farmingdale resident who sits on the , the board of the and in the . “I’d like to know that the next generation has a future and a voice."

Diamond attended Farmingdale High School and graduated in 1971. She continued her studies as a journalism major at Hofstra University and said that's where both her passion for words and for education grew.

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After Hofstra, Diamond served as the associate editor of The Oceanside Beacon and a feature writer for The South Shore Record, a newspaper of the Five Towns. In 1980, Diamond began a career at Arrow Electronics in their small export department and later became a transportation manager for the global economy.

"Thirty-one years later, I am a mother, a writer and a proud advocate of education in schools," said Diamond. Her 27-year-old son graduated from Farmingdale High School in 2003 and followed in his mother's footsteps by attending her alma mater, Hofstra University.

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Diamond became a PTA leader in the 1990s, where she made it a priority to effectively relay information to parents regarding their children’s education.

“I knew that as a parent, it was hard to keep up with school information so the importance of having representatives to bring back school news and distribute it to parents was essential,” she said.

"Tina is always willing to listen to community concerns and is very supportive of the special education population in Farmingdale," said resident Jean Brown.

Diamond was elected to the school board in 1999. Her main goal is to make sure the district remains high-quality and affordable to the community.

“Having Tina on a committee means that the task at hand will get done," said  Denise Turetsky, a past Farmingdale PTA Council president. "Her goals are always geared toward the best interest of the children. Education and safety are her first priority."

Diamond has spearheaded many initiatives as a member on the school board. In 2006, she was one of seven school board members statewide to formulate the "School Property Tax Relief" resolution.

"Being on a statewide committee representing Farmingdale and the LI region affords the opportunity to voice our concerns to those who have the power to reform tax laws," said Diamond.

She hopes to find ways to increase attendance at the meetings of all of her organizations.

“The world has become so fast-paced that it's harder to get people to join organizations or attend meetings,” said Diamond. “Nowadays, there are the same people sitting in the audience. We need new faces and new ideas for the future."

Diamond said she enjoys spending time meeting neighbors and doing her best to ensure that children will continue to grow up in a “safe, satisfying suburbia.”

“Although the world changes, Farmingdale still stands for grounded family values, responsible citizenry, the accomplishment of the white picket fence of home ownership, and respect for our neighbors and neighborhood,” she said.

Diamond is active in the local civic group and is hopeful about the Village of Farmingdale's . She supports the building of a "long-awaited" at Allen Park and hopes it has the latest technology in multi-purpose areas where younger people can go to relax and enjoy.

"I owe a world of thanks to some pretty strong PTA women that I have been very lucky to call friends, and to the town of Farmingdale for supporting the priorities of children and education," she said.

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