Riverhead school officials seek public input to find next superintendent

Riverhead school officials are seeking the community’s input in the search for the next superintendent of schools. 

The Riverhead Central School District launched an online survey this week to obtain community members’ opinions on what qualities the next superintendent should possess and what they should prioritize coming into office. The superintendent acts as the chief executive officer for the school district, which operates seven schools and serves more than 5,400 students. 

The survey is available in multiple languages. You can access the survey here. The last day to respond to the survey is Friday, Dec. 20. 

The survey has a multiple selection question and four written response questions. It asks the respondent’s top three priorities for the superintendent; what personal characteristics the new superintendent should possess; what professional background the superintendent should possess; and what issues and needs the school district should prioritize in the immediate and long-term. It also asks a demographic question.

The superintendent search is being conducted by Eastern Suffolk BOCES. The school district is aiming to hire the next superintendent by mid-March, which will allow the superintendent to help fill other vacant positions within the district’s central administration. 

Eastern Suffolk BOCES has posted the job opening for the position on its website. It was also circulated to education professional organizations, according to a presentation earlier this month by Eastern Suffolk BOCES Chief Operating Officer David Wicks.

The job posting says the district is looking for a candidate with a New York State certification as a School District Leader or School District Administrator. According to the job opening, the candidate should have:

• Experience as a leader of a diverse community of learners, providing equitable access to success and well-being for all students.
• Someone with a strong commitment to academic excellence, who possesses outstanding communication skills, integrity, diplomacy, and collaborative leadership skills.
• Experience with curriculum development, technology, the budget process, finances, labor relations, and community engagement.

The superintendent should have a background in “supporting English language learners,” a brochure advertising the job states. English language learners made up 38% of the district’s student population last school year, according to the New York State Department of Education; 64% of the district’s student population is Hispanic or Latino. 

The application also asks candidates to answer three questions, including one about how they would lead the school district “through a significant capital improvement project from the development of a bond proposal through the completion of the project.” 

Several Riverhead schools are considered at or near capacity. The last major capital project to expand and renovate district school buildings was funded by a $78.3 million capital construction bond authorized by district voters in 2011. That proposal was a scaled-back version of a larger $124 million capital plan rejected overwhelmingly by voters earlier that year.

In 2020, facing increasing enrollment projections, the school district sought the approval of a $87.7 capital construction bond for major expansion of the high school and Pulaski Street Intermediate School, and minor changes to other schools. That plan was rejected by 70% of district voters. 

Cheryl Pedisich, the retired superintendent of the Three Village Central School District, is currently the district’s temporary superintendent. She was hired after the district’s abrupt separation with former Superintendent Augustine Tornatore in October 2023. Tornatore was hired in 2021 after the three-year long tenure of former Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez, which ended in her abrupt resignation in June 2020. Before Henriquez, the district was managed by Nancy Carney, who was named superintendent in 2010 and served in the position until her retirement in 2017.