The Committee has identified qualified, independent candidates in each of the three 2026 races — and has identified the candidates who should be rejected.
The Valley Stream 24 School District Board (VS24) has three seats up for election in 2026. Each seat has its own slate of candidates.
Once the new school board members are seated, the Board will vote in late June or early July to appoint three of its members to serve on the Valley Stream Central High School District Board (VSCHSD).
On February 25, 2026, candidate Armando Hernandez ascended to the high school board — where his wife works as a VSCHSD employee — after his scandal-plagued, hand-picked predecessor, Melissa Herrera, resigned in alleged disgrace amid serious accusations of egregious misconduct.
Thankfully, the Committee has identified at least one qualified candidate in each of the three races. However, we have also identified one candidate in each race who, based on serious allegations of corruption, misconduct, self-dealing, and/or conflicts of interest, we believe to be unfit to govern.
After examination of the candidates' qualifications and track records, the Committee has determined that Salman Quader, Thomas Dowling, Aisha Black Darby, and Meaghan Fleming are the only candidates qualified to serve on the school board. Here is how those honorable candidates stack up against their opponents.
| Trustee Seat | Candidate | Committee's Determination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat 1 — Quader vs. Herrera | |||
| Seat 1 | ✅ | Salman Quader | Endorsed |
| ❌ | Melissa Herrera | Unqualified | |
| Seat 2 — Dowling vs. Hernandez | |||
| Seat 2 | ✅ | Thomas Dowling | Endorsed |
| ❌ | Armando Hernandez | Unqualified | |
| Seat 3 — Darby / Fleming vs. Walsh (Two qualified candidates running) | |||
| Seat 3 | ✅ | Aisha Black Darby | Dual Endorsed* |
| ✅ | Meaghan Fleming | Dual Endorsed* | |
| ❌ | Patricia Walsh | Unqualified | |
| * Two qualified candidates are running for Seat 3. The Committee endorses both Aisha Black Darby and Meaghan Fleming. | |||
Salman Quader is a Risk Assessment Specialist who brings the kind of clear-eyed, independent judgment our board urgently needs. He has no conflicts of interest, no pattern of using public office for personal benefit, and no history of retaliating against district employees. Valley Stream needs a trustee who assesses risk to students and taxpayers — not to his own family.
Multiple allegations have been levied against Trustee Herrera that include:
Thomas Dowling represents the accountability and principled leadership that the District 24 board urgently needs. Unlike the incumbent he is challenging, Dowling has no spousal employment conflicts, no record of elevating compromised colleagues to positions of power, and no legacy of presiding over retaliatory conduct against district employees. It is time for a board member who leads — not one who enables.
Hernandez bears responsibility for the conduct of the board on which he serves. After the firestorm of allegations against Herrera surfaced, Hernandez responded by nominating her to be President of the VS24 Board. He also voted to appoint Herrera to the high school board, where she allegedly abused her influence to terrorize faculty and staff.
Hernandez has a direct financial conflict of interest: his wife, Saundra Hernandez, is employed as an account clerk in the high school district. Hernandez was quietly appointed to the board of the high school where his wife works in early 2026, to replace Herrera, who resigned in alleged disgrace.
The incumbent board members are hoping you won't notice. We on the Committee fervently hope that you do.
Aisha Black Darby is one of this Committee's two endorsed candidates for Seat 3. As an independent community member with no employment ties to the district, she can vote on personnel, contracts, and policy matters with the full independence that effective school board governance demands.
Meaghan Fleming also brings independence, community engagement, and freedom from the conflicts of interest that have plagued this board. Valley Stream needs board members who can look every parent in the eye and say, honestly, that their vote was not colored by personal or financial interest.
Patty Walsh is a longstanding employee of the high school district. Because she works for the high school district, she has a conflict of interest that is inconsistent with service on the VS24 Board. An employee cannot independently oversee the institution that signs her paycheck.
The allegations against Trustee Herrera are drawn from sworn court filings, two published Newsday investigations, two Change.org community petitions, and official Board of Education minutes. Here is a detailed summary of the documented record.
Allegations have been made that Trustee Melissa Herrera — who has been identified as the board trustee in question — initiated disciplinary charges against Joan Rava, a now-retired school secretary, alleging dangerous driving. Despite an investigation by the school principal and a review of security camera footage that cleared Ms. Rava, Trustee Herrera allegedly escalated the complaint directly to the superintendent. The result was a disciplinary letter that Ms. Rava accepted unwillingly during her retirement process. This episode reflects a pattern of pursuing personal grievances through official channels — and of the board capitulating to that pressure rather than standing behind its own investigators' findings.
Source: Article 78 Verified Petition §78 [1]; Change.org community petition [4]
After her son was disqualified from the NY State Science and Engineering Fair, Trustee Herrera allegedly launched a persistent campaign against teacher Jeffrey Hsi — contacting the school principal, approaching Superintendent Loper directly at a public science symposium, and sending a formal letter demanding removal. Notably, the initial formal complaint was filed by [Name Redacted] on behalf of both himself and Melissa Herrera. Despite three separate investigations concluding the mistake was unintentional, The principal characterized the matter as an "unfortunate accident." The superintendent and assistant superintendent both explicitly acknowledged the accidental nature of the error. The pressure continued until Mr. Hsi was formally removed from the Science Research Program he had led for 22 years.
Sources: Article 78 Petition §§35–57 [1]; Newsday July 10, 2025 [2]; Newsday Oct. 30, 2025 [3]; Change.org Hsi petition [5]
Even after Mr. Hsi had been removed, Trustee Herrera allegedly filed an additional complaint claiming he had "threatened" students by informing them of his removal. The principal investigated, interviewed the students, and cleared Mr. Hsi — for the third time. An independent investigator found insufficient evidence to support the allegations and reached the same conclusion.
Sources: Article 78 Petition §§59–61 [1]; Newsday Oct. 30, 2025 [3]
Allegations have been made that in 2025, Trustee Herrera intervened to allow her son to wear an outside-of-school achievement cord at graduation, contrary to a long-standing district policy permitting only honor society cords. The exception was allegedly made exclusively for her child, overriding established tradition for every other graduating student in the class.
Source: Article 78 Verified Petition §79 [1]
Allegations have been made that in 2024, Trustee Herrera used her board influence to pressure the District to reduce required honor society volunteer hours from 33 to 20 — precisely when her son was reportedly facing removal from honor societies for insufficient credits. This change allegedly allowed him to maintain his standing while bypassing the requirement that applied to every other student.
Source: Article 78 Verified Petition §77 [1]
Two separate Change.org community petitions reflect the community's concern about Trustee Herrera's conduct — one focused on the treatment of teacher Jeffrey Hsi, and one addressing the broader pattern of board misconduct.
This petition calls for the reinstatement of Jeffrey Hsi to the Valley Stream South High School Science Research Program. Signed by over 503 alumni, students, parents, and community members, it describes Mr. Hsi as a dedicated mentor who went far above and beyond — organizing research trips to Columbia University, NYU, Rockefeller University, and Cornell Weill Medical School, working without additional compensation for over two decades to build a program that produced multiple Regeneron Science Talent Search semi-finalists, Long Island Science and Engineering Fair winners, and International Science and Engineering Fair participants.
Signatories describe a program that flourished under his guidance and call his removal an injustice driven by outside pressure rather than any legitimate educational concern.
This broader community petition addresses the pattern of alleged misconduct by board members, including the treatment of Joan Rava — a school secretary who was subjected to a disciplinary process at the insistence of a board trustee, even after the school principal and security cameras had cleared her of the underlying allegation of dangerous driving.
The petition reflects community concern that board members have been using their official positions to pursue personal grievances against district employees, bypassing the findings of school administrators and pressuring the superintendent to take punitive action where none was warranted.
Two separate Newsday investigations covered the Hsi matter. Both articles are behind a paywall; key facts from each are summarized below.
Newsday reported that alumni were calling for Mr. Hsi's reinstatement, describing him as a beloved mentor who shaped who they are today. By the time of reporting, a Change.org petition had garnered 392 signatures. School officials declined to comment on Mr. Hsi's assignment. Superintendent Wayne Loper confirmed the district was "aware of certain allegations" regarding the program, but said the district does not comment on individual personnel or student issues. He indicated the program would continue "under the experienced leadership" of the science department chair and co-teacher — notably without mentioning Mr. Hsi by name.
View Article (Paywall) ↗Following Mr. Hsi's lawsuit filing, Newsday published a deeper investigation. It reported that Mr. Hsi alleged the district "arbitrarily" removed him after Trustee Herrera used her position to influence district officials — driven by "improper and undue influence" rather than legitimate educational concerns. The article detailed the sequence of events: the competition incident, three investigations finding the mistake unintentional, the counseling memo, the shock reversal the following day, and the subsequent complaint about Mr. Hsi — itself investigated and dismissed.
View Article (Paywall) ↗A separate Newsday report revealed that the Valley Stream Central High School District agreed to pay a former principal $125,000 in emotional distress damages after she was abruptly terminated while on medical leave. Regardless of whether the termination was appropriate, it obviously should have been handled more professionally. This settlement — paid with taxpayer funds — is a reminder that how board leadership handles personnel matters carries real financial consequences for our community. Every dollar spent on avoidable lawsuits and settlements is a dollar not spent on students.
View Article (Paywall) ↗VS24 School Board Election Day
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