Murphy, Redmond elected to lead school board: July 1 meeting wrap-up

The Riverhead Board of Education opened the 2026-27 school year July 1 by electing new board officers, approving consultant agreements tied to administrative transitions and adopting improvement plans for the district and Phillips Avenue Elementary School.

The board held its annual reorganizational meeting at 5 p.m., followed by its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m., both at the Riverhead Middle School cafetorium.

Erica Murphy was elected board president and Cynthia Redmond was elected vice president. Neither position was contested and both votes were unanimous.

The oaths of office were administered to newly elected or re-elected trustees Jasmine Corwin, Erica Murphy and Cynthia Redmond for three-year terms running July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. Superintendent Robert M. Hagan, Ed.D., also took the oath of office for the 2026-27 school year.

The board also approved the district’s standard annual reorganizational items, including official appointments, bank depositories, bonding, impartial hearing officers, meeting dates, official newspapers and media, standard workdays and a large package of annual contracts and professional-service agreements, including legal, audit, financial, architectural, health, environmental, benefits, workers’ compensation and special education-related services.

Regular board meetings for the 2026-27 school year are scheduled to be held at the Riverhead Middle School cafetorium, unless otherwise posted. The May 18, 2027 budget vote and election and the June 16, 2027 regular meeting are scheduled to be held at Riverhead High School. Under the meeting schedule approved by the board, meetings generally open to the public at about 5 p.m., after which the board recesses to executive session and reconvenes in public session at about 7 p.m. The calendar is subject to change.

Consultant agreements approved

During the regular meeting that followed, the board approved six agreements for administrative, consulting and other professional services with Alan Baum, Faith Caglianone, Marianne Cartisano, Terry Culhane, John Fleming and Cheryl Pedisich.

Several of the agreements are with former or interim district administrators. Pedisich served as interim superintendent before Hagan took over as superintendent, and Cartisano served as interim assistant superintendent for business before being replaced this month by a new assistant superintendent for business.

Hagan said in a phone interview Monday that the agreements are intended largely to help the district through administrative transitions and time-sensitive summer work, including grants, finance, security and energy performance contract paperwork.

The agreements with Baum and Pedisich relate to summer grant work, Hagan said. He said Culhane, the district’s former security director, was brought back temporarily to help transition a new security director into the role. Fleming is handling paperwork related to the district’s $26.2 million energy performance contract, Hagan said.

Hagan said the district saved money on the energy performance contract by handling much of the project management work itself and using Fleming for paperwork, rather than hiring a project manager whose fee would have reduced the amount available for project work.

Caglianone is finishing several finance-related projects, including work connected to the district’s new finance system, Hagan said. Cartisano is helping with the transition to the district’s new business officials, he said.

Caglianone’s agreement calls for her to work as a part-time business office consultant from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, at $150 per hour. The agreement says she is generally expected to work eight days per month, unless additional days are approved in writing by the superintendent.

Cartisano’s agreement names her executive director for business operations from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2026, at $1,200 per day. The agreement says the temporary position was created to assist the newly appointed assistant superintendent for business during the transition.

Baum will serve as consultant to the superintendent from July 1 through Aug. 31, 2026, at $150 per hour. His duties include assisting with the transition to the new assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and completing 2025-26 and 2026-27 grants.

Pedisich will serve as consultant to the superintendent from July 1 through Aug. 31, 2026, at $150 per hour. Her duties include providing feedback, insight, guidance or assistance to the superintendent and assisting in the transition from her interim superintendency to Hagan’s administration.

Culhane will serve as consultant to the superintendent from July 1 through Aug. 31, 2026, at $150 per hour on an as-needed basis. His agreement says his duties include director of security responsibilities and other consulting duties assigned by the superintendent.

Fleming will serve as consultant to the superintendent from July 1 through Nov. 30, 2026, at $150 per hour, capped at five hours per week unless Hagan gives prior written approval. His agreement says he will work on the district’s energy performance contracts and kitchen renovations.

Superintendent’s contract amended

In a separate amendment to Hagan’s superintendent contract, effective July 1, Hagan’s base salary for the 2026-27 school year was set at 2% above his 2025-26 base salary.

The amendment also allows Hagan to participate in the district’s long-term disability insurance plan, with the district paying the full premium, and provides a $500 annual district contribution to his medical reimbursement flexible spending account.

The amendment provides Hagan 14 sick days annually, earned pro rata, with unused sick time accumulating up to 260 days. Upon death or simultaneous retirement from the district and the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, Hagan or his estate would be paid for one-third of his unused accumulated sick days at a per diem rate of 1/240 of his then-current annual salary.

The amendment also provides 26 paid vacation days per year, accrued pro rata and credited July 1. It says Hagan’s work year consists of all days in the board-designated calendar, including recess periods and days the district is closed, and that he may be required to work additional days in an emergency. It allows him to be off with pay during one recess period each year, with at least 30 days’ written notice to the board president and a requirement that he remain reachable by telephone for emergencies.

School improvement plans adopted

The board also approved the district’s 2026-27 District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and the School Comprehensive Education Plan for Phillips Avenue Elementary School.

The Phillips Avenue plan focuses on strengthening classroom instruction by engaging students in “cognitively demanding tasks” that require reasoning, sense-making and problem-solving, while avoiding over-scaffolding or leading students to answers.

The districtwide plan defines high-quality Tier 1 instruction as consistent, standards-aligned and student-focused, with teachers using evidence of learning to scaffold instruction and students collaborating, working independently and applying learning in new settings.

The districtwide plan also identifies inequities at Phillips Avenue, saying the school has the district’s highest concentration of high-needs students, with 73% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch and 65% identified as English language learners. The plan says only 24% of Phillips Avenue students speak English at home.

The plan calls for targeted support at Phillips Avenue, including a bilingual family liaison team, specialized multi-tiered system of supports for English language learners and high-poverty students, and need-based staffing allocations.

Safety plan and code of conduct hearings held

The board also opened and closed public hearings on the districtwide safety plan and the district code of conduct. Hagan said the district is required to update its safety plan annually and that the 2026-27 update was prepared by Director of Security Terry Culhane.

The district described the code of conduct revisions as two nominal changes: a language change to the corporal punishment section and an update to the list of Dignity for All Students Act officers.

Parents raise Riley Avenue child care concerns

At the end of the meeting, two parents submitted online comments about the loss of before- and after-school child care at Riley Avenue Elementary School.

Rebecca Peters of Calverton said she relies on before-school care to maintain her work schedule as a single mother and asked whether the district explored partnerships or other options to continue school-based care.

“The convenience of having child care available within my school provides consistency, familiarity and a safe environment with staff and peers she already knows,” Peters said in her written comment, which was read aloud at the meeting.

Tanya Short of Riverhead also asked about the district’s plan for Riley Avenue child care and whether students could be bused to outside providers.

Hagan said the Riley Avenue program had been operated by SCOPE, an outside provider, and that SCOPE could no longer sustain it because of declining enrollment. He said the district has contacted other local providers and is continuing to look for alternatives.

“We continue to look and explore different options, as we are well aware that this is a burden that could be placed on families,” Hagan said.

Hagan said Kiddie Academy is outside the Riverhead school district, in the Shoreham-Wading River district, so Riverhead cannot provide transportation there. He said the district has been in conversation with Bright & Early, but staffing was an issue for running a program at Riley Avenue.

The meeting adjourned shortly afterward. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 5.