Board of Education

Riverhead is planning to implement a “hybrid model” combining in-person and remote learning, for the return to school in September, since social distancing restrictions will make it impossible to have all children attend school every day, Interim Superintendent Christine Tona said at Tuesday night's school board meeting.

Former school superintendent Aurelia Henriquez was paid half her base annual salary in a lump sum upon her resignation last month and may be paid the other half in monthly installments beginning in January if she is not otherwise “gainfully employed” from January to June, according to the terms of an agreement approved by the school board June 29.

The school board voted unanimously to schedule the revote on July 28, the date established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for school budget re-votes across the state.

The public is invited to attend tomorrow’s Riverhead school board meeting for the first time since the coronavirus crisis began in March.

Contingency spending plan, said to be a stop-gap until revote on failed budget, cuts nearly $1M from athletics programs, makes steep cuts to music performances and clubs, electives, elementary literacy and more.

Riverhead School Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez has resigned her position effective June 30. The board of education accepted her resignation this afternoon at a special board meeting and appointed Assistant Superintendent Christine Tona as interim superintendent effective July 1.

The district today posted a job listing for a Latin teacher, with a start date of Sept. 1. The listing was posted on a K-12 education employment website.

With its first failed budget in more than a decade, the Riverhead school board must decide whether to submit the budget to voters again or live with a $144.8 million contingency budget. In a June 9 executive order, the governor said school districts will be allowed a revote next month, with date and process to be determined by him.

Riverhead’s school budget proposal was rejected by voters 3,173 to 2847. Incumbents Therese Zuhoski and Christopher Dorr were returned to office and newcomer Virginia Healy was elected to the Board of Education.

Counting is underway of the more than 6,000 ballots received in the Riverhead Central School District election — by far the most votes cast in any school district election in more than 20 years and more than double the average turnout for school elections over the past decade.