Summer projects for area school districts and board of education

Even though summertime is in full swing, local school districts and boards of education continue to prepare for the 2023-2024 school year. 

RIVERHEAD

Riverhead Central School District’s Board of Education has a new president and vice president. At their latest reorganizational meeting, they named Colin Palmer the new president of the Board of Education and Brian Connelly, who is stepping down from his position as president to take on the role of vice president.

One of the projects the board has been working on is revamping the district’s transportation department. The board had approved hiring Transpar — a student transportation consulting and management company — as a response to related concerns raised by both students and parents at meetings since the school year started.

At the board’s Jan. 10 meeting, Micah Brassfield, Transpar’s director of advisory services, presented the results of an analysis the company had done on the district’s transportation department, finding that it is “significantly understaffed,” she said.

On Jan. 26, the schools’ purchasing agent solicited Requests for Proposals from transportation companies with a due date of Feb. 3. The district received a proposal from Transpar, which the board was meant to vote on at the Feb. 28 regular meeting, but the motion was tabled. Transpar’s original proposal was priced at $288,755.

According to Ms. Brassfield’s presentation at the May 23 Board of Education meeting, over the summer the district will be working along with Transpar to finalize the details on the department overhaul, which include a rolling over of the student database slated to be complete by July 21, according to the presentation. They will also be doing driver bidding and dry runs, as well as completing any needed route revisions and publishing the final routes for students.

As for the other projects the board is working on, district officials said in an emailed statement to The Riverhead News Review, “The district does not want to prematurely release them until they are confirmed.” Officials stated that the district’s goals will be finalized in August.

SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER

According to district Superintendent Gerard Poole, Shoreham-Wading River’s five projects that they will be working on this summer include:

• renovation of the high school art rooms

• creation of a high school health and fitness center, which will be going in the current auxiliary gym location

• recoating and repairs of the high school roof 

•replacement of unit ventilators at Wading River school and the high school 

• renovation of the high school driveway

Shoreham-Wading River had their reorganizational meeting on July 11 in which Thomas Sheridan was chosen to continue his duties as board President and Henry Perez was chosen as the Vice President of the board of education.