Budget Vote, Teacher Tenure Covered At BoE Meeting

Acknowledgement of the recent budget vote, the bestowment of tenure, and an effective new skill assessment test were among the main topics at the recent Massapequa Board of Education meeting.

Thirty-one teachers across the district gathered together the evening, first at a special reception held behind closed doors, and then at the board meeting, where the promise of tenure was soon to be made a reality.

Superintendent Charles Sulc welcomed the teachers permanently into the Massapequa district.

"The essence of tenure is about recognition, and it is about commitment," he said. "We recognize the time and the effort that you have put in in such a short time, and it takes a lot to do, on a daily basis, what it is that you do, and you do it very well. We greatly appreciate all of that effort, and by recognizing your tenure tonight, we're making that commitment to you."

Sulc also addressed the last week's school elections, expressing gratitude that Massapequa's budget was solidly backed by the community.

"We did have a budget vote on Tuesday, and the budget was successful in passing," he said. "We do thank the community for its support...we have an outstanding educational program, and by passing the budget we can continue to grow that program. We're very appreciative of everyone that came out to vote and support our budget."

The successful of incumbent Jane Ryan and ousting of current board president Christine Lupetin Perrino by candidate Gary Bennett was also addressed by Sulc.

"Mrs. Ryan will continue as a trustee," He said. "The other result was that Mr. Bennett was the successful candidate, so we congratulate the two winners."

Despite the end of her nine-year school board tenure looming, Perrino nonetheless appeared in good spirits, congratulating fellow board member Ryan on her successful re-election bid. She also expressed similar sentiments to rival Gary Bennett, who was present in the audience with his wife.

Also covered at the meeting was the district’s yearly tradition of honoring of valued staff members.

"Today was a day of celebration," Sulc said. "We had our tenure reception tonight, but early this morning we began the day with annual Employee Recognition Day, and we actually recognized 257 of our staff members for their contributions to the district at various intervals in their careers- five years, ten years, all the way up to forty years. We've very appreciative of their efforts."

There was also a presentation on the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) pilot program held at Birch Lane school this school year. NWEA is an online assessment program that was tested on grades  3to6 at, and the purpose of this versatile test is to individually evaluate the skill level of students. Since the test is not grade specific, if the success at Birch Lane continues, the NWEA program could see expanded use throughout the school district.

The next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Massapequa Board of Education is on Thursday, June 2, at 8 p.m.