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.”

The post RCSD budget puts three administrator jobs on the chopping block appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Mr. Hagan’s career in education spans 26 years on Long Island and he currently serves as assistant superintendent of human resources for the Longwood Central School District. He started in 1999, working as a social studies teacher for eight years before entering the administrative sphere as a secondary school assistant principal in the Port Jefferson School District in 2007.

His other administrative positions over the past two decades include assistant secondary administrator for instruction and administration in the William Floyd School District, as well as director of instruction and learning technology and principal of the Bonac Learning Center in the East Hampton School District. 

Mr. Hagan’s initial three-year contract runs through June 30, 2028. He will earn an annual salary of $260,000.

“Thank you so much for the warm welcome. It’s truly amazing,” Mr. Hagan said at the April 9 school board meeting. “It’s really just a privilege to be a part of this wonderful community, amazing team, certainly talking to some of the principals, the directors and some of the community members. It’s just truly an honor and I’m so humbled to be here.”

In a phone interview following his appointment, Mr. Hagan spoke about how his previous professional responsibilities have prepared him for the superintendent role. Through his experiences teaching, coaching, being an adviser and moving up to administrator and assistant superintendent positions in the last five years, he said one of the most important things he has learned is how people are “the absolute greatest asset” when it comes to education.

“From teachers to custodial staff, bus drivers, school monitors, teacher aides — just everybody moving in a common direction really is what gets the ball rolling and moving in a direction where children can be successful,” Mr. Hagan said. “I’ve learned to listen more and certainly realize, collectively, we’re going to be able to do this together in a collaborative way.”

Mr. Hagan said he has already gotten a great first impression of the school district this first week and has begun meeting with other administrators, faculty, staff and other members of the school community.

Over the next few months, he said, he hopes to listen and learn from as many people within the school district as possible to get a better understanding of their concerns and aspirations. He plans to continue to move forward with the foundation that interim superintendent Cheryl Pedisich and the current school administration have laid so far.

“Coming to Riverhead, for me, feels like you’re coming home,” Mr. Hagan said. “I just really want to be part of something that is greater than myself and certainly want to work as hard as I possibly can for the children and the community members.”

Ms. Pedisich took the top spot in the district in October 2023 after former superintendent Augustine Tornatore resigned. She was initially meant to serve in the role through June 30, 2024, while the district searched for a new full-time superintendent, but her contract was extended for another year.

Several people expressed their gratitude for Ms. Pedisich’s leadership and commitment to the Riverhead Central School District over the last few years. She said it has been “truly an honor” and a “rewarding experience” to serve the community.

School board president James Scudder expressed his excitement on behalf of the entire board to begin working with Mr. Hagan.

“We look forward to working alongside Dr. Hagan and engaging with the remarkable expertise and enthusiasm he will bring as we further cultivate Riverhead’s outstanding culture of achievement,” Mr. Scudder said. “We will continue to coordinate to ensure a seamless leadership transition.”

The post Robert Hagan tapped to lead Riverhead Central School District appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

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.

The post Riverhead 2025-26 proposed school budget increases by nearly 5% appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Mr. Wallace told the Riverhead News-Review that 19 teachers were let go entirely and four were reduced to less than full-time. An additional 15 positions will be eliminated by attrition, he said.

The bulk of the layoffs are coming at the elementary level, with 11 employees facing termination.

“It’s heart wrenching, it’s hard to see these young teachers who are affected,” Mr. Wallace said. “These layoffs are not based on need … this is purely fiscal.”

Ron Edelson, spokesperson for the district, said interim superintendent Cheryl Pedisich will be giving a full presentation on the layoffs at the next school board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.

“The public has a right to hear directly from [the school board],” Mr. Edelson said. “She’ll be putting everything into context, talking about the positions that are basically being excessed due to people retiring and not filling [those positions], and other positions that really have to do with people being hired due to COVID money.”

Marianne Cartisano, the district’s acting assistant superintendent for business, warned school board members at a Feb. 27 preliminary budget meeting that the roughly $19 million in state and federal funding the district received during the COVID-19 pandemic were about to run dry.

At the meeting, Ms. Cartisano said a “large chunk” of this money was spent on one-time, non-recurring expenses, however several full-time positions that were paid for as part of that grant funding would have to be reduced.

At the time, Ms. Cartisano said the school board did the “right thing” to address student needs during the pandemic. However, because of the lack of grants coming in for the 2024-25 year, Ms. Cartisano advised the school board to pump the brakes when it comes to hiring more employees.

Since 2018, the district has hired 116 new staff members, including administrators, teachers, teachers’ aides and district office workers. During the past five years, the number of faculty members in the district has increased from 403 to 535.

The district also has seen an increase in teachers’ aides — from 50 in 2018 to 73 this year. Overall, the Riverhead Central School District currently has 117 more employees than in previous years.

Mr. Wallace could not speak to layoffs involving teachers’ aides, but said there would be additional layoffs in the Riverhead Teaching Assistants Association union.

The RCFA union president noted the roles funding for the Riverhead Charter School, IDA tax abatements and New York State school Foundation Aid play in the overall “fiscal state” of the district.

He said the charter school received $11.6 million in tuition this year and according to the district’s 2024-25 budget proposal, this number is projected to rise to $13.7 million.

“[The charter school’s] funding does not fluctuate with the economic cycle,” Mr. Wallace said. “When our budget fails, their funding remains whole.”

Between past underfunding of Foundation Aid — by as much as $188 million, according to Mr. Wallace — and loss of funding through various other programs, nearly $300 million has been diverted from the school district since 2011, according to statements in past reporting.

Adding in the nearly $15 million lost to IDA tax abatements, Mr. Wallace previously said it is fair to estimate Riverhead Central School District has lost nearly $400 million in total funding. 

“We do know that the COVID money is drying up,” Mr. Wallace said. “But if we had that [$15 million], we would not be eliminating positions, we would be adding them.”

Mr. Wallace said although the loss of COVID funds is impacting school districts across Long Island, he does not believe many other districts have dealt with the same financial impact the Riverhead School District has experienced due to the combination of charter school funding, IDA tax abatements and the losses from Foundation Aid underfunding.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The post Riverhead Central School District announces teacher layoffs as federal COVID aid dries up appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The funding has been used either to hire more staff to sustain the district through COVID-19 pandemic challenges or to pay for one-time, non-recurring expenses, Ms. Cartisano said. 

As the district readies for the 2024-25 budget vote in May, Ms. Cartisano alerted Board of Education members about the “fiscal cliff” in funding they are likely to face — a challenge many school districts across Long Island are bracing for. 

“Our fiscal cliff is $19.8 million of funding that we will not receive come July 1,” Ms. Cartisano told school board members at a Feb. 27 meeting. “What happens is when that money runs out, you fall off the cliff.” 

Ms. Cartisano started in her new role in late October, replacing Rodney Asse. Since then, she said she has been working to improve the district’s financial practices and feels “optimistic” about this year’s budget process. 

Ms. Cartisano broke down some preliminary data regarding tax cap projections, staffing analysis, grant funding and other proposals district residents will vote on in May. 

Since March 2020, New York State has received more than $14 million in federal COVID response funding earmarked for local education agencies. This was done through appropriations such as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), the 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP). 

In her presentation, Ms. Cartisano said the funding that could be lost includes $6.6 million from elementary and secondary school emergency relief grants and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. 

In previous years, the district has also received $13.2 million in state grants to support child nutrition programs, summer enrichment initiatives and after-school programs, address learning loss due to the pandemic; and aid students experiencing homelessness. 

“Now these grants are done,” Ms. Cartisano emphasized. 

Ms. Cartisano said a “large chunk” of this money was spent on one-time, non-recurring expenses, however positions that were part of that grant funding will have to be reduced. 

At the time, Ms. Cartisano said the school board did the “right thing” to address student needs during the pandemic. However, because of the lack of grants coming in for the 2024-25 year, Ms. Cartisano advised the school board to pump the brakes when it comes to hiring more employees. 

Since 2018, the district has hired 116 staff members, including administrators, teachers, teacher’s aides and district office workers. In the past five years, the number of faculty members in the district has increased from 403 to 535.

The district also has seen an increase in teachers’ aides — from 50 in 2018 to 73 this year. Overall, the Riverhead Central School District currently has 117 more employees than in previous years. 

“We have enough on staff, but there are positions that do have to be reduced that were part of that grant funding,” Ms. Cartisano said. “We will be looking to reduce the least senior positions district-wide.” 

Ms. Cartisano emphasized there will not be a reduction of 117 jobs, but rather an examination of which roles can be scaled back without being eliminated, with an eye toward balancing stability with sustainability. 

As for the school’s tax cap projection for 2024-25, Ms. Cartisano said the estimated number is 3% to 3.5%, although she believes it will be lower. 

“The board has been very clear with me that they have no intention or expectations to pierce the cap,” she said. “That means that we will stay within the guidelines that the cap will lay out for us.”Additionally, the district is projected to receive more than $80 million in New York state aid for the 2024-25 fiscal school year — a roughly 4.3% increase from last year, according to previous reporting. 

Budget presentations began Tuesday, March 5, and will continue into April. The next public budget meetings are scheduled for March 19, April 2 and April 16, all starting at 7 p.m. 

A public information meeting on the budget vote itself will be held Tuesday, May 14, at 7 p.m.

The annual Board of Education election and budget vote is set for Tuesday, May 21. There are two open seats on the school board this year. 

“This is going to be a new level of ‘March Madness’ that you probably have not experienced,” Ms. Cartisano cautioned the school board. “You have great kids who are achieving really awesome experiences, and we are going to look to protect as much of that as we can in the next couple of months.” 

The post Riverhead school board warned of ‘fiscal cliff’ as funding dries up appeared first on Riverhead News Review.