Thirty-four retiring Riverhead Central School District employees were recognized at Tuesday night’s school board meeting, its last scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 year.
The retirees recognized Tuesday night have worked a combined 782 years in the district. The retirees include:
Diana Acosta, Spanish Teacher – 21 years
Joan Bernhart, Teaching Assistant – 22 years
Linda Campo, Elementary Teacher – 20 years
Vincenzo Ciolino, School Bus Driver – 19 years
Thomas Crabb, Guard – 27 years
Lisa Donato, Reading Teacher – 24 years
Linda Dowd, Science Teacher – 20 years
Kelly Evers, Science Teacher – 23 years
Kathleen Fata, Special Education Aide – 10 years
Deborah Gagnon, Special Education Aide – 35 years
Richard Gallo, School Bus Driver – 16 years
Celeste Gneco-Vasquez, Social Worker – 17 years
Holly Goodale, Principal Office Assistant – 20 years
Frances Guerriero, Account Clerk – 18 years
Pretoria Hennessy, Elementary Teacher – 24 years
Stephen Jeski, Bus Driver – 20 years
Veronica Keane, Elementary Teacher – 33 years
Jill Kent, Elementary Teacher – 33 years
David Leone, Science Teacher – 21 years
Kenneth Marelli, Physical Education Teacher – 34 years
Barbara Marsicano, Reading Specialist – 21 years
Lisa McArdle, Technical Support Aide – 29 years
Theresa Messina, Elementary Teacher – 22 years
Claude Pragliola, Maintenance Mechanic II – 38 years
Samuel Quaye, Math Teacher – 25 years
Wanda Roberts Brown, Special Education Aide – 10 years
Debra Spinelli, Elementary Teacher – 33 years
Maria Toth, Special Education Teacher – 27 years
Kimberly Vengilio, Elementary Teacher – 33 years
Shelly Walker, Elementary Teacher – 34 years
Christopher Amato, Data Processing Systems Coordinator – 17 years
Leslie Moore, Sr., Transportation Director – 28 years
William Galati, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, Grants and Student Outcomes – 3 years
Lori Koerner, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education and Education Services – 5 years
“Goodbyes are never easy, but they are a necessary part of the journey that tells the story of the lives that we have impacted and invaluable contributions we have made along the way,” Interim Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said. “We want to take this time to recognize each of you for the gifts of wisdom, dedication and support that you have given throughout these many years.”
Some of the retirees honored last night will not be replaced due to cuts in next year’s school district budget. Other teachers and teaching assistants who did not retire were also excessed last night as a part of the district’s budget plan.
The school board also granted tenure to 21 employees:
Molly Ackerler – Special Education Teacher
Samantha Alfano – Special Education Teacher
Laura Baldassare – ENL Teacher
John Birnstein – Teaching Assistant
Jeffrey Bloch – Special Education Teacher
Danna Connolly – Elementary Teacher
Lauren DeMarzo – Music Teacher
Cherese Foster – Physical Education
Allison Fox – ENL Teacher
Joseph Gianotti – Physical Education
Aaron Kanige Foreign Language – Spanish Teacher
Jessica Kelly – Science Teacher
Krystal Lever – Social Studies
Riley McHugh – Science Teacher
Megan Pepe – Special Education Teacher
Kelly Schultheis – Special Education Teacher
Antoinette Sganga – Teaching Assistant
Cara Slotkin – Social Studies
William Trapani – Elementary Teacher
Matthew Ver Straten – Social Studies
Cathleen Walter – Teaching Assistant
Board President Colin Palmer says goodbye
School district officials also bid farewell to school board president Colin Palmer, who decided not to seek reelection after one term on the board.
“His advocacy for our district and town at the local and state levels exemplifies a true commitment to commitment service and its altruistic endeavors consistently evidence integrity, and vision,” Pedisich said. “The past few years have been extraordinarily challenging, and have required strong and steadfast leadership, which Colin has consistently provided.”
Trustee Virginia Healy said the board saw balance, diplomacy and level-
headedness in Palmer when they chose him to lead the school board at the start of the school year.
“I think all of us can say, even though we were facing very, very difficult times…you saw us through,” Healy said. “I cherish our relationship. You feel like a son to me in a way…. So I’m gonna miss you. And from the bottom of my heart just — thank you. I’m so glad to have gotten to know you these past three years.”
Palmer thanked the school district community for being welcoming and giving him “a reason to be involved.”
“It hasn’t been an easy three years — and especially this past year, has not been easy, especially as board president,” Palmer said. “I don’t think there are many people who can say that they’ve been criticized by both RiverheadLOCAL and the New York Post than me actually, being called out by them.”
“But I can’t imagine what the past year would have been like without the six other board members that I have right here,” Palmer said. “To be able to work with a group that every single member is in it for the right reasons, who don’t have a hidden agenda, has been the absolute joy of my time. It’s been an extreme honor to serve on the board with you all — on the board, and everybody else on the dais and all the community members I’ve worked with.”
District officials recognized student athletes on the girls varsity softball, boys varsity lacrosse, girls varsity golf, and girls varsity track and field teams.
Boys varsity lacrosse coach Victor Guadagnino was also celebrated. Guadagnino was presented with a framed jersey with the number 200, signifying the 200 career win milestone he hit during this year’s season.
High school seniors who earned state seals on their diplomas this year were presented with certificates for their achievements. The Seal of Civic Readiness is presented to students who attain a high level of proficiency in both civic knowledge and civic experiences. The Seal of Biliteracy is presented to students who demonstrate proficiency in English and another language.
See photos below.
In other action at Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Education:
- Was presented an overview of the district’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee’s initiatives.
- Hired retiring assistant superintendents Lori Koerner and William Galati as consultants for the summer. Koerner will be paid $953.45 per day and Galati $930.20 per day. Both will not work more than five days, according to the resolution.
- Hired retiring Director of Transportation Leslie Moore as a consultant for the 2024-25 school year at a pay of $150 an hour.
- Approved the appointment of a hearing officer related to disciplinary charges of misconduct and incompetence filed against an undisclosed employee. The employee will be suspended without pay for 30 days commencing June 12.
- Accepted the resignation of Middle School Assistant Principal Emmanuel Hernandez and appointed him to the newly created position of chief information officer. The chief information officer will be represented by the Riverhead Administrators Association and have a starting salary of $154,124.74. Hernandez is replacing Christopher Amato, the district’s data processing systems coordinator, who is retiring after 17 years in the district. Amato is currently paid $145,390 and is not represented by a union.
- Approved internal audit reports and corrective action reports on the internal controls of district operations, and budget development and fund balance, prepared by the district’s auditors, Nawrocki Smith LLP, for the 2022-23 school year.
- Declared the bidding for the procurement of a company to operate the district’s drivers education road instruction a failure. The district solicited bids on March 27 and hand delivered invitations to bid to 15 companies. The district rejected the one bid it received due to the company being unable to provide proof of insurance that satisfies the minimum limits as recommended by the New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal.
- Approved a $6,700 donation by the Riverhead Middle School PTO to assist with the cost of buses and t-shirts for the 8th grade class field trip.
- Approved a contract with Just Kids to operate its summer pre-kindergarten program for the special education students at Riley Avenue Elementary School for six weeks at a rent of $21,350.
- Approved a renewal agreement between the district and SCOPE Education services to operate summer enrichment and camp invention programs for the district during the summer at Phillips Avenue School.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Alek Lewis
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