Who is Phyllis Mallah?
Phyllis Mallah’s philosophy when it comes to schools is simple: “A quality education, in a safe environment, as economically as possible.”
It’s on that basis she is running, again, for a seat on the Board of Education. In 2009, she lost a bid to join the board, but holds hope that this time around, residents will see her value.
Mallah had a 27-year career in education that included teaching and administration that started when she graduated from American University. She put her career on hold to raise four children, and when the youngest went to school, she returned to the classroom.
As an elementary school teacher, she taught for 12 years at , a private school in Bedford, N.Y. In 1989, she took a position as a media communication teacher in the Yonkers Public School system, doing everything from teaching creative writing to producing plays for their closed circuit television station with children from pre-kindergarten and up. When her position was cut in 1992, she taught elementary students math.
Although she already had a master’s degree in elementary education from Manhattanville College, she returned to school for another master’s in supervision and administration from Manhattan College.
As an assistant principal, she helped open the Foxfire School in Yonkers, a new school based on a method instruction that allows students to make decisions about their education. After two years, she moved onto Eugenio María de Hostos MicroSociety School, a bilingual school also in Yonkers. About five years later, she joined Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School.
“I really loved my work,” Mallah said, but after buying a place the Clearwater Beach section of Springs in 2002, she found she’d get a back ache every time she’d leave for Yonkers. “I retired to be here not because I wanted to.”
Her family, including her sister the actress Anne Bancroft, had summered on Fire Island for 35 years. But, after a trip to the South Fork, Mallah decided to make a change. “I love being in Springs. I love it because it’s not pretentious. I love it because it’s got a sense of community. I live on a block where children play outside.”
While she has retired from teaching, she hasn’t left behind her “passion for maintaining great schools for kids.” An active member of the East Hampton Democratic Committee, she said, “If we do not have an educated population, how do we maintain a democracy?”
She said she doesn’t like the attitude in the Springs community toward teachers. “Everyone seems so down on the school,” she said. It’s one of the reasons she decided to run again. “I really felt that someone had to step up for the school.”
As someone on a fixed income, she said she understands the importance of looking for cost cutting measures, but she wants to ensure they are options that won’t effect the students, like shared services with surrounding school districts. “I’m 100 percent for consolidation,” she said.