The Riverhead school board approved more than $1 million in repair reserve spending, several administrative appointments and two new eighth-grade honors courses Wednesday night, before hearing parent concerns about the district’s dual language program and a Planned Parenthood classroom presentation.
Repair reserve expenditures authorized
The board unanimously approved the use of $1.041 million from the district’s repair reserve for four facilities projects: replacement of the HVAC system at the Welcome Center, boiler work at Riverhead Middle School, removal of an abandoned hot water tank at Phillips Avenue Elementary School and flooring replacement at Pulaski Street Intermediate School.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Marianne Cartisano said the repair reserve, which was established by the board in March 2017 and approved by voters that May, currently has about $2.1 million.
Repair reserve funds can only be used for specific repair work, not new construction, Cartisano said during a public hearing before the board vote.
“You cannot use this money to build something new,” Cartisano said. “It can only be used to repair and maintain equipment and our buildings.”
The largest of the four projects is replacement of the Welcome Center’s heating and air conditioning system, including condensers, electrical feeders, wiring, piping and connection to the district’s building maintenance system. The project is estimated to cost $552,000.
The district also plans to spend about $39,000 to replace roping sections in a middle school boiler; $75,000 to remove an abandoned hot water tank at Phillips Avenue; and $375,000 to replace first- and second-floor hallway flooring at Pulaski, including the library and most offices.
Cartisano said the work is expected to be completed by December or January.
“This is going to be another million dollars worth of work that we’re going to accomplish without increasing the tax rate,” Cartisano said.
Personnel and other actions taken
The board also approved several personnel appointments, including the appointment of Bryan Miltenberg as director of personnel. Miltenberg, currently principal of Aquebogue Elementary School, will begin the new post July 1 at a salary of $189,000.
The board also appointed Jaclyn Kenney, currently assistant principal at Aquebogue, as elementary principal, effective July 1. Her salary will be $162,571.
Sarah Devita, Kristie Ramcharran and Deborah Smidt were also appointed to assistant principal positions. Each position carries a salary of $144,851.
Board President James Scudder congratulated the administrators and several newly appointed teachers after the board approved the consent agenda.
The newly appointed teachers include Deanna Arndts and Jenna Vazquez as art teachers, and Kayla Horn, Nicole Lent, Hannah Sobel and Christine Varvaro as elementary teachers.
The board also approved an agreement with LIU Post for the High School Scholars program for the 2026-27 school year. The program allows eligible high school students to enroll in college-level courses taught at the high school and earn transferable college credit. Under the agreement, students will pay tuition and fees directly to LIU Post. Tuition for the 2026-27 school year is $290 per course.
Two new eighth-grade honors courses — English language arts honors and social studies honors — were also approved.
The eighth-grade ELA honors course proposal describes a full-year course intended for students who demonstrate strong academic performance and readiness for rigorous coursework. Eligibility criteria include a quarterly average of 90 or higher in seventh-grade ELA, strong reading comprehension and writing skills, consistent completion of assignments, an i-Ready reading score on or above grade level and teacher recommendation.
The course is intended to prepare students for honors-level coursework in high school and future Advanced Placement classes, according to the proposal.
The board also approved a shared services contract with Eastern Suffolk BOCES, a memorandum of agreement with the Riverhead Central Faculty Association for a sick bank, a memorandum of agreement with CSEA, renewal of vendor contracts, updated corrective action plans and several donations.
Parents voice support for dual language program
During public comment, several parents urged the district to continue and expand the dual language program.
Claudia Maya, speaking on behalf of Roanoke Avenue Elementary School parents, said parents were concerned that the district is not expanding the program next year despite prior investments in curriculum materials, books, classroom resources and teacher training.
Maya said the first cohort of dual language students is currently in second grade and has not yet reached the grades where state testing begins.
“What research or data guided the decision to end the program for most schools before these students have had the opportunity to demonstrate those results?” Maya asked.
Superintendent Robert Hagan said the district is not eliminating the program, but is maintaining existing dual language classes while it reevaluates the program.
“What we did was sustain what we currently have,” Hagan said. He said the second-grade dual language class at Roanoke will move into third grade next year.
Hagan said funding was not the reason for the decision not to expand the program next year. He said the district has had difficulty hiring bilingual certified teachers and is currently on its third posting for a vacancy.
“We are reevaluating the program to make it stronger, to make it more successful,” Hagan said.
Andy Nava, a Roanoke parent of a second-grade student, said he has seen the benefits of the program firsthand and urged the district to keep parents and teachers involved in discussions about its future.
Claudia Ambrosio, the parent of a pre-K student at Roanoke, said she was concerned that her daughter would not have access to dual language kindergarten because the program will only be offered at Phillips Avenue next year. She asked whether arrangements could be made for Roanoke students who want to participate in the Phillips Avenue program.
Hagan said building principals are sending surveys to families currently in the dual language program to gather information before the district makes further decisions.
“We are looking to work with you, not against you,” Hagan said.
Another parent, Jennifer Fernandez, said she learned through RiverheadLOCAL that the program would not be available to incoming kindergarten students at Roanoke and was upset that she had not been notified directly by the district.
Hagan said the information was provided during kindergarten registration and during the budget process.
Parent objects to Planned Parenthood presentation
Another parent, Tamara Oliver, raised concerns about a Planned Parenthood presentation in a freshman seminar class at Riverhead High School.
Oliver said the presentation was supposed to be about healthy relationships but included discussion of abortion, birth control and pronouns. She said she did not receive prior notice or give consent for her child to attend the presentation.
Oliver said she believes the district’s policy on teaching controversial issues was violated and asked the board to require parent or guardian consent for controversial topics and guest speakers. She also asked the district to define “controversial” in policy and update the policy annually.
Scudder stopped Oliver when her allotted speaking time expired and told her she could submit her written comments to the district clerk. The board did not respond to her comments during the meeting.
Students awarded N.Y. state biliteracy, civic readiness seals
Earlier in the meeting, Riverhead High School students were recognized for earning the New York State Seal of Biliteracy and the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness.
The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes students who demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one additional language. This year’s Riverhead students earned seals in Spanish, French and Polish. Two students earned seals in both French and Spanish.
Students who earned the Seal of Civic Readiness were recognized for civic knowledge, civic responsibility, service, leadership and civic engagement.
The superintendent also recognized Board Vice President Erica Murphy for completing school board training.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
