The search for a new school superintendent will begin in Riverhead with the school board looking to hire a search firm.
Board members last night authorized the district’s legal counsel to prepare a request for proposals to hire a firm to conduct the superintendent’s search on the district’s behalf.
Christine Tona, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, was named interim superintendent by the board of education after Dr. Aurelia Henriquez resigned the superintendent post as of June 30. Tona is serving as interim superintendent without additional compensation, according to board members.
Trustees Christopher Dorr and Matthew Wallace voted against starting the process to find a permanent superintendent.
“We have someone performing the duties of superintendent who did not take a salary increase,” Dorr said. “I think we can keep our interim. I don’t think we’re in any rush to start a new search.” He said from his experience in education, there won’t be a pool of qualified candidates to choose from until after the holidays.
“With all due respect, I think we need to put out this to get the process started,” Trustee Therese Zuhoski said.
“We need a leader that holds people accountable and I really feel that although Ms. Tona is doing a fine job, I think we need to see what other applicants are out there,” Zuhoski said.
Trustee Virginia Healy said the first step in hiring a permanent superintendent is to hire a search firm and it will take some time for the board to vet and hire a search firm. The district won’t be ready to do an actual superintendent search until the holidays anyway, Healy said.
Ultimately the board voted 5-2 to have an RFP prepared for a search firm.
Fed/state nutrition program to provide free breakfast and lunch for all Riverhead students this year
The board last night also approved an agreement with the State Education Department’s Office of Child Nutrition to participate in a program providing free breakfasts and lunches to all students at all seven schools daily. The program provides the meals regardless of an individual student’s ability to pay. In past years, the program was in effect in Aquebogue, Phillips Avenue, Pulaski Street and Roanoke Avenue elementary schools. This year it is being expanded to include Riley Avenue, Riverhead Middle School and Riverhead High School.
The program is funded by the federal government through the state, which pays the district on a per-meal basis. In the past, it has actually resulted in a surplus that is paid into the district’s cafeteria fund. The district uses the cafeteria fund for equipment and other cafeteria improvements.
Riverhead buses to be equipped with stop-arm cameras to catch violators
The board also approved an agreement with the County of Suffolk to opt-in to a version of the red-light camera for school buses.
The program provides for the installation, at no cost to the district, of cameras on the district’s school bus “stop arms” — the stop sign that is extended from the driver’s side of a school bus when its red flashing lights are activated.
The cameras on the stop arms will take photos of vehicles the fail to stop as required by law. GPS equipment to be installed on the bus will record the locations of the photos. The county will then send summonses to the alleged violators.
The cost of the installation and operation of the stop-arm cameras is borne by the county, which has entered into a contract with Bus Patrol America LLC. The county’s costs will be paid for out of fines it collects for violations of the stop-arm law.
The district will not receive any share of the fines collected nor will it have access to any of the information about alleged violators.
School board objects to IDA tax abatement for new apartments, will ask town for moratorium
The school board agreed to send a letter to the Town of Riverhead Industrial Development Agency objecting to a real property tax abatement for a proposed market-rate apartment building at 331 East Main Street. The proposal was the subject of an IDA public hearing Monday. The hearing was left open for written comments until noon on Friday, Sept. 4.
The board also agreed to write to the town to call for a moratorium on new apartments in Riverhead, in light of the district’s overcrowded schools. Board members expressed concerns about discussion on the town board of repurposing vacant retail space for residential use as “micro apartments.”
Former longtime board member and past president Kathleen Berezny, the only member of the public to address the board live during its virtual meeting last night, said she supported the board opposing tax abatements and new apartments.
Berezny also asked the district to reopen the district office lobby to the public. Interim Superintendent Christine Tona agreed that should be done.
Tona gave a brief report on the parent meetings held by the district via Zoom last week, which she said were well-attended and productive. She said there will be one more parent meeting, a special education informational meeting, which will be held on Monday, Aug. 31 at 5 p.m.
In other action last night, the school board restored an administrative position that was excessed in the contingent budget and agreed to revisit the idea of funding some sports and extracurricular programs using reserve funds. That discussion will take place at the board’s next meeting.
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