Then the results came back: She had scored in the top 3 to 4% nationally out of the millions nationwide, earning recognition as a commended student by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

“I’ve always enjoyed all of my AP classes,” said Brooke, now a senior taking her fifth AP course, language and composition. “My experience with the AP program as a whole has been good.”

Riverhead High School’s Advanced Placement program has grown dramatically over the past two decades, more than doubling its offerings from fewer than 10 to more than 20 courses today. Nearly 600 students take at least one AP course during high school, with 51 graduates earning AP Scholar designation last year by scoring 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.

For students like Brooke, the rigorous program does more than bolster college applications. It teaches them they can handle challenges and succeed under pressure.

Ollie Earl, a senior, is among those who have benefited. He got his start with AP World History as a freshman. Now, nine AP courses later, he’s heading to college to study political science, confident that he can handle whatever comes next.

“I was ready for a new wave of learning,” he said. “Even that first AP World History had more work in it than any other classes. But I did great with it, and I really enjoyed it. It met my expectations, it made me happy.”

Ollie has taken his fair share of difficult courses. One that stands out from the rest is AP Chemistry. He wondered, at times, whether he would make it through. He did — and now knows he can tackle college-level work.

“I’ll meet the challenge even better, because not only do I have the experience of working hard behind me, but I’ll also have the kind of excitement that you get from learning something that you really genuinely want to learn,” he said. “I am very proud of myself, and I feel confident in my ability to get through hard classes.”

Fellow senior Aidan Foss remembers the jolt of his first AP course. World History as a freshman was unlike anything he’d faced, and Chemistry tested him even further.

Twelve AP courses later, he has developed the study skills and resilience he’ll need as he pursues political science and history in college, with hopes of becoming a lawyer.

“I actually know what I’m getting into when I go to college,” Aidan said. “It’s still going to be a shock, but not as much, because I’ve taken AP classes.”

Senior Saara Hossain chose AP courses to challenge herself. Of the seven she’s taken, AP Seminar stands out for its college-style research papers — work that will help as she pursues international relations and foreign languages in college.

“I’ve really enjoyed my AP classes,” Saara said. “The ones offered here have been really helpful.”

To Principal Sean O’Hara, the students’ success reflects collaboration across the entire school.

“One of the things I like about Riverhead High School is that there’s something for everybody here,” he said. “I’m proud of the programs we offer and of the students who take advantage and thrive.”

Charles Gassar, director of school counseling, has watched the AP program expand during his 17 years with the district. New courses are added regularly, and the district continues to look for ways to broaden opportunities.

Beyond AP, Riverhead offers dual-enrollment courses for college credit through Stony Brook, Adelphi or Long Island University, all taught by Riverhead faculty. Seniors also participate in an Early College program at Suffolk County Community College, taking classes alongside college students.

“The district has always fully supported these programs,” Mr. Gassar said. “There are so many opportunities for students to find their niche and go in different directions.”

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District and school board officials discussed the decision to eliminate these positions at the May 6 budget hearing. Marianne Cartisano, interim assistant superintendent for business, said that in order to stay within the 2.16% state tax cap without making any cuts to teaching staff or programs, it was recommended the school board restructure the Supervision and Curriculum section of the proposed 2025-26 budget. 

“We knew that we needed to make some reductions, and we were protecting the classroom,” Ms. Cartisano said. “It’s a little bit of a different structure, but it allowed us to save enough money that we didn’t have to excess other positions.” 

The plan is to take these three positions and restructure them to have department chairs, Ms. Cartisano said, meaning teachers will both instruct and serve in an administrator role. She added that the proposed budget also includes a new elementary level literacy coach to help improve reading scores. 

“There’s not enough individual attention to specific areas, so now what we’re developing is a different plan at the elementary level, including the literacy coach and at the secondary, [grades] 7 through 12, it will be a teacher — instead of [teaching] like a nine-period day, they’ll teach three or two, and do administrative duties, working directly with their colleagues.”

Ms. Cartisano said the combined salaries of these three positions were over a half-million dollars and nearly $700,000 in benefits. Now, with the cuts, the cost of the new restructuring would be around $200,000 — saving the district $500,000. 

“Half a million [in] savings is five teaching positions. We didn’t want to raise elementary class size, we’re bringing back the dual language program, we are maintaining the nine-period day at the high school,” Ms. Cartisano said. “We’re maintaining all of our athletics, all of our clubs, all of our arts, so, these are some of the tough decisions we had to make.” 

Jeannine Campbell, director of STEM; Maria Casamassa, director of humanities; and Gretchen Cotton Rodney, executive director of elementary education currently hold these positions and were made aware of the plan to excess them, interim superintendent Cheryl Pedisich confirmed. 

Ms. Pedisich said abolishing these positions does not necessarily mean they can’t come back at some point — specifically the elementary executive director spot. She said Ms. Rodney would be entitled to the position if it were to be reinstated. As of now, the administration is working with the teachers’ union to identify individuals best suited for these chairperson positions. 

“With regard to Jeannine and Maria, they’re K-12, so it’s almost an untenable position to be in a district this size, whereas, if you’re a math professional, that’s your expertise, and you’re going to focus on that,” Ms. Pedisich said. “It allows more concentration on those particular subject areas at the secondary level.” 

Ms. Pedisich further stressed that one of the district’s main priorities is literacy and cultivating several literacy coaches who would work more hands-on with teachers.  

“I did not want to, neither did the cabinet, and I think the board agreed that we don’t want to be cutting teachers because they’re the direct individuals who work with our students,” Ms. Pedisich said. “If we had to look at other administrative staffing, then it would be looking at our assistant principals — assistant principals have direct contact with students and families, so it just was a difficult choice.” 

School president James Scudder said the board agreed that chairpersonships seemed like the best direction to go in, as those individuals have been in the classroom and can better direct their departments. 

Robert “Bubbie” Brown of Riverside spoke at the May 6 budget hearing on behalf of other community members who questioned the decision to cut the three administrative positions. He said preserving these roles is “critical” to student success and noted that the New York State Education Department has designated the RCSD as one in “need of improvement” due to low performance. 

“Given this reality, shouldn’t strengthen[ing] teaching and curriculum support be a top priority rather than eliminating it?” Mr. Brown asked. “I’ve seen this happen before, many different instances…[a] smokescreen, and I can see people eliminated from positions that do a job and do it well, but they’re excessed because of other reasons.

“Growing up in this community has given me a sense of inherent paranoia,” he continued, “and I’ve seen things, ugly things, happen to good people in this community and it irks me.”

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Funding for the high school summer school program was added back into the budget this year, having been covered by COVID grant money the last few years.

“Now we have to pay for it on our own. Those federal monies and those grants are gone,” said interim superintendent for business Marianne Cartisano.

Occupational education has increased in both enrollment and cost as the tuition for BOCES rises.

“What is happening is, if you look in the 2019-20 year, we sent 140 students to BOCES for occupational education. That was great. The tuition was nearly $14,000 [per student],” said Ms. Cartisano. “In the 2020-21 year, coming out of COVID, we jump from 140 to 178, then 222, 220, 229. I have budgeted for 224 students for next year. That means almost doubling in five years. So now, you’ve gone from $1.9 million to this current year … and with the projected increase in tuition from $15,500 to $16,000, next year’s budget is nearly $3.6 million.”

For special education students in the BOCES programs, the budget cost is set at $3.8 million. Due to the lack of available space in existing facilities, those students are sent out of district for instruction.

“We do not have the physical space for these classes to be housed within our elementary school specifically. So therefore, there is no choice but to have these students attend school out of district,” said Ms. Cartisano.

In addition, the budget line for Riverhead Charter School tuition is expected to increase by between $2.6 and $2.7 million next year. This is in addition to the overall increase from last year, which exceeded the projected $13 million and came in at over $14 million instead. The tuition cost this year for each Charter School student is $21,746.

“And now in nine years, you would have paid $88 million to the charter school to educate our resident students,” Ms. Cartisano said of the rising costs. “You basically could have built a building for that kind of money.”

Three capital projects are on the 2025-26 budget as well, all funded at no additional cost to taxpayers. The first is an energy use agreement that allows the district to undertake projects such as adding solar panels or installing energy efficient lighting, which are paid for through the retained savings.

Other capital projects include renovating the cafeterias at two district elementary schools, to be funded by the cafeteria program at a cost of $1.2 million at Riley Avenue and $1.7 million at Phillips Avenue.

The cost for routine buildings and grounds maintenance, running the district office and property insurance is increasing by $400,000. 

Out of $9.9 million, $7.7 million is going directly to instructional programs within the school district, officials noted. 

There is a $600,000 increase in transportation to cover bus driver salaries. Another $2.2 million is designated for staff salaries, including a $1.9 million increase in support staff funding. Administrative salaries will be reduced by $253,000.

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The current contract between the school district and Civil Service Employees Association Unit 8792 workers began July 1, 2019, and expired June 30, 2024. The CSEA represents approximately 383 non-teaching employees districtwide, including custodians, food service workers, special education aides, technical support aides, security guards, bus drivers, safety monitors and clerical staff. 

Back in April, the same non-instructional employees stood before the district administration and board members to express their dissatisfaction with their current salaries and benefits — and this sentiment has not changed. 

“We have been in contract negotiations for about a year now, and we are so close to coming to an agreement that will not only meet the needs of the CSEA but the needs of the district as well,” said Indira Abrahamsen, a high school senior office assistant. “We need a contract that is fair and gives relief to all of our union unit members, especially since the majority of our unit is living paycheck to paycheck.”

Union members have collective bargaining rights under the National Labor Relations Act, and if a contract expires before the next contract is put in place, almost all the terms in the expired contract still apply while bargaining continues, according to the National Labor Relations Board. 

One of the biggest sticking points concerns pay rates for new hires compared to those of long-term employees, many of whom are locked in at specific increases per the current contract. Under that agreement, workers hired after Sept. 1, 2010, are paid at the “Bronze Level” of compensation, while those hired before that date receive higher “Platinum Level” wages. 

Without a successor agreement, bronze level employees stay at the current designation for the duration of their employment. 

Ms. Abrahamsen said out of the 383 CSEA employees, 223 of them have been hired within the last five years. Out of those 223, 115 workers have been hired by the district in the last two years alone. 

“For the last 10 years, I personally have had to work a second job to be able to afford living in this district, as well as working in it,” said Lisa Douglas-Aubé, a Riverhead clerical employee for over 20 years. “Many of our veteran employees, as well as our new ones, are in the same predicament.”

Many of the speakers noted that the district would benefit from granting non-instructional staff higher wages because it would lead to improved retention rates and recruitment. Kelly Turbush, a Riverhead school bus driver for 24 years, said the ongoing nationwide school bus driver shortage is largely due to low pay that does not reflect the level of responsibility and requirements of the role itself. 

She highlighted the reality of working as a school bus driver includes long hours — most starting the day in the early hours of the morning and ending late into the night — and sometimes not being able to take a break. If a child is alone, bus drivers will stay with a child until a parent arrives and at times, Ms. Turbush said, they put themselves at a physical risk, particularly in situations involving students with disabilities or those with behavioral challenges. Additionally, these workers undergo extensive testing and other requirements, such as random drug and alcohol tests, both written exams and road tests every two years, annual physical examinations, defensive driving courses and more. 

“Drivers and monitors are far more than transport providers — we play multiple roles in the students’ lives,” Ms. Turbush said. “We act as caregivers, teachers, helping students with their homework, counselors, even surrogate parents, [and] provide support and guidance to children who may experience difficult situations at home or in school.” 

Kerry Harrison, a computer lab assistant at Riley Avenue School, said just as technology has evolved, so has her role in the last seven years. The position requires more, higher-level work, however, she said technology department staff remain one of the least paid in the district. 

According to the Department of Civil Service, a computer laboratory assistant in Suffolk County typically makes between $24,877 and $48,036 annually. The current CSEA agreement states that in 2019-2020, bronze employees made $17.99 per hour, while platinum employees received $23.74 an hour. 

In the 2023-2024 school year, the hourly wage for a bronze-level computer lab assistant was $19.47 and $25.69 for platinum. These staff members work 7.5 hours and 183 days out of the year, according to their contract. 

“What we take on and what we do, we do it happily,” she said to the board. “We’ve lost a few tech people this year — it’s not sustainable living on Long Island at all.” 

Liam Russert, the regional director for CSEA Long Island, spoke in solidarity with the Riverhead CSEA unit and went into detail about the reality of living on the wages listed in the current contract. 

For example, a school bus driver currently makes $26.06 an hour at the bronze level, Mr. Russert noted. However, they work between five to eight hours a day and only 183 days a year. He argued that it is not easy for these employees to find a second job during the summer months, and many of the listed salaries are less than what a car costs today. 

“When you look at the rates on paper, you actually see a number that might be decent, but what it really translates to, when you look at the cost of living and the hours they work, it’s a lot less,” Mr. Russert said. “I really need [the board] to think long and hard about the importance of what [non-instructional employees] do and what those numbers actually translate to, and ask [them]selves, ‘What would … life be like if [they] got paid the same amount?’”

Contract negotiations are ongoing, and it is unclear if the CSEA non-instructional unit at Riverhead schools is considering a strike at this time. 

Correction: Workers hired after Sept. 1, 2010 are paid at the “Bronze Level,” those hired before that date receive higher “Platinum Level” wages. This information was misstated in a previous version of this article.

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Shoreham-Wading River Central School District

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Beginning July 1 through June 30, 2025, the Riverhead Board of Education will pay 50% of the cost to employ one of the two SROs. For the 2025-2026 academic year and beyond, the school board agreed to pay 50% of the cost for both SROs, the agreement stated.

Officer Eric Cohen will be assigned to Riverhead High School and Officer Kaley Castantine will be monitoring Riverhead Middle School. Although these are their primary assignments, both officers may be required to visit other schools in the district, the contract stated.

“We are excited about the opportunities the SROs present for our students,” interim superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said in a letter to the school community. “The SROs will enhance the safety and security at these two buildings, while also serving as helpful resources for our students and their families, providing educational opportunities, and enhancing the relationships and the community with law enforcement.” 

Both SROs will remain employees of the Riverhead Police Department and will be posted at their respective school locations five days a week, according to the contract. The main duties of the school resource officers are to provide security and surveillance in their assigned areas, as well as take note and report any “irregularities, dangerous practices and conditions, accidents, fires and other acts or circumstances, requiring police or other action, which affect the health and welfare of students and school personnel.” 

The officers may carry weapons either openly or concealed when authorized by the police chief. An open carry may be required in situations where an “armed presence” could provide a “useful deterrent,” while concealed is defined in the contract as “only while in plain clothes and in circumstances where the officer may wish to act informally with students, parents or faculty.” 

The SROs will not have access to student lockers or personal belongings and their responsibilities exclude lunchroom, hall and other monitoring duties. In her letter, Ms. Pedisich said the officers are not “school disciplinarians,” as that is the school’s responsibility. 

However, if an incident is believed to be in violation of the law, the SRO will be contacted to determine if law enforcement is needed. All actions taken by these officers will be coordinated with their building principal, director of safety and security, district administration and staff members. 

In terms of the community-based aspect of the program, the SROs are to serve as “role models” for the students to look up to and turn to for any assistance. They will be an educational resource as well for students and their families through presentations on specific topics, such as security, crime prevention, drug and alcohol prevention and other related issues.

Before schools start up again in September, the officers will undergo a one-day orientation, Ms. Pedisich confirmed. Both Mr. Cohen and Ms. Castantine are familiar with the layouts of the high school and middle school, the superintendent said. They are also familiar faces to the students, as they are already involved in the school’s “Council for Unity” class. 

This orientation will focus on scheduling, reporting, information sharing, strategies and review of district emergency plans, Ms. Pedisich said. 

SROs have been around in schools for decades, but gained traction in the 1990s due to increased federal funding, spike in school shootings, like at Columbine High School in Colorado, and growing concerns of student safety. 

Calls for more SRO programs in schools spiked nationwide following the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six educators. 

This is not the first time the RCSD has considered implementing school resource officers on campus. The district allocated funds in the 2018-19 budget to hire a school resource officer from the Riverhead Police Department, officer Byron Perez. 

The Board of Education started having serious conversations about the logistics of bringing SROs back to the district over a year ago, Ms. Pedisich said in her statement. The decision comes after a series of incidents occurred during the 2023-24 school year, during which parents and students requested “heightened security,” according to previous reporting. 

“We know that school districts all across the country are constantly reviewing and enhancing their security measures, and the Riverhead school district is no different,” said school board president James Scudder. “We will continue to be proactive and we want the community to know that we take the safety of all our students and staff to be paramount.” 

At the July 16 Town Board meeting, Supervisor Tim Hubbard said even though the bulk of the funding is coming from the town — and essentially the taxpayers — he believed it was important to bring the SRO program back to the school district. 

“The funding is coming from the same people, which is the taxpayers, so whether the town pays for it or the school pays for it, we’re hitting in the same pocket,” Mr. Hubbard said. “Schools do much better with SRO officers in them than if they don’t, and in today’s day and age, we can’t be safe enough.” 

Councilman Ken Rothwell voted in favor of the program, but said he thinks the school should have covered the cost of the officers in its entirety. 

“I do want the resources in there, I think they are instrumental in guiding our youth, so I support this — but it is us that’s funding the majority of the money,” Mr. Rothwell said. 

Marianne Cartisano, interim assistant superintendent for business, said the cost of the assigned SRO the district needs to pay is determined by the town’s finance administrator. She said in an email that she expects this number to be included in the town’s reimbursement billing after the school year begins in September.

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