Sam Schneider, assistant superintendent in the Riverhead School District who was placed on administrative reassignment in October, has been named assistant superintendent of business in East Hampton.
The East Hampton Board of Education voted unanimously last night in favor of the appointment, which fills the role of Keith Rugen, who resigned Jan. 18.
“I am delighted to welcome Sam aboard,” East Hampton Superintendent Adam Fine said in an email Tuesday night. “His qualifications are unmatched, and I look forward to him spending many years at East Hampton.”
Schneider, who was hired as the assistant superintendent of finance and operations in Riverhead in 2011, said he will immediately resign from the Riverhead post. His resignation will be accepted by the Riverhead Board of Education on March 8, Riverhead Superintendent Augustine Tornatore told RiverheadLOCAL yesterday.
Prior to his time in Riverhead, Schneider was a business official for the Shelter Island School District. He was named to the position there in 2008.
East Hampton’s new hire had been promoted to deputy superintendent in Riverhead in 2016, and was reassigned out of the office on Oct. 12 of last year, when his position was also abolished.
In an October 15 message from the superintendent, Tornatore stated the district had called on Herb Chessler to be acting school business official on October 5.
“I understand that these changes will leave some in our community with additional questions,” Tornatore wrote in her letter. “However, as with all matters of personnel, I ask that you understand that the district is limited on what information can be shared publicly. We will communicate any additional updates as they become publicly available.”
Schneider, in attendance during the meeting in East Hampton last night, greeted and was welcomed by the board, including a callout from President J.P. Foster, upon approval of the resolution.
Schneider and Foster could not immediately be reached for comment.
Desirée Keegan is a reporter for the news website 27East.com, a publication of Express News Group. Story republished by permission of Express News Group.
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