Riverhead BOE seeking firm to lead superintendent search; district will participate in traffic safety program
The Riverhead School Board voted 5-2 Tuesday to issue a request for proposals for a superintendent search firm, a process that will likely take several months.
Board member Virginia Healy said it will probably be after Christmas before the board selects a firm to lead the search.
The need to find a new superintendent arose following the resignation of former superintendent Aurelia Henriquez, who resigned in late June. Christine Tona, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, has been filling in as interim superintendent since then.
Board members Chris Dorr and Matt Wallace cast the two votes against issuing an RFP.
“We have someone in place who didn’t take a salary increase,” Mr. Dorr said of Ms. Tona. “There’s no rush to start a new search.”
Following an agreement upon her resignation, the district is still paying Ms. Henriquez, whose contract had been renewed.
Better ‘think twice’ about passing a school bus
If you drive past a school bus that’s dropping off or picking up kids in the Riverhead School District, you will now have a greater chance of getting a ticket.
The Riverhead Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to participate in the Council of Suffolk Stop Arm Enforcement Program.
“When you drive past a bus and the arm is out, the stop sign takes a picture of the car that went past,” school board president Laurie Downs said of the new county program. “It will stabilize the safety of our children.”
The school district won’t get any of the fine money, but it also won’t be responsible for paying the contractor to install and maintain the system, as Suffolk County will handle that.
“People will think twice about passing our buses when its flashing light is on, and the stop sign is out,” said Assistant Superintendent Sam Schneider.
