The Herricks Board of Education appointed two new assistant principals in the district and approved a labor agreement with the district’s food service unit, the second of its kind this month.
Daniel Salerno was named the assistant principal at Searingtown Elementary School in the upcoming school year. Previously, Salerno was assistant principal of New Lane Elementary School in Selden. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree from Hofstra University, where he completed his observation hours in the district at Denton Avenue Middle School.
Melissa Blady, the current math and technology curriculum coordinator for elementary schools, will become the assistant principal at Center Street Elementary School.
The board agreed to a new contract with the United Public Service Employees Union, which represents the district’s food service unit.
During its May 4 meeting, the board reached a new three-year agreement with the Herricks Teachers’ Association, the district’s local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.
Board President Jim Gounaris thanked the association for their hard work and dedication during discussions, which were finalized on April 26.
“I want to acknowledge the hard work by the HTA president, vice president and negotiating team,” Gounaris said during the May 4 meeting. “For meeting with us, understanding concerns and issues the district is facing and recognizing how much we appreciate the hard work they do every day in our classrooms and what they do for all our students.”
Association President Nidya Degliomini said she was thrilled to reach the milestone, especially in light of the struggles the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the district.
“We want to thank the board and superintendent [Tony Sinanis] for working with us to reach this major goal,” Degliomini said. “We see this as a welcome road to many future successes.”
In unrelated district news, Gounaris and Trustee Henry Zanetti thanked the community for re-electing them during the May 16 election and passing the $134.7 million budget for the next school year.
Gounaris defeated challenger Bhajan Ratra to defend his trustee seat for another three-year term, securing 79.81% of the total vote. Zanetti, who ran unopposed, secured re-election with 863 total votes.
Gounaris added to previous comments made by Trustee Brian Hassan, who advised residents not to believe everything on social media and that if they have questions about the district to reach out directly.
The president said he read things that were untrue and clarified that the board and superintendent had 12 different events so that residents could understand in detail the proposed budget.
“We wanted to make sure we extended ourselves so that everybody had an opportunity to ask questions,” Gounaris said.
Gounaris said he saw and read things online, specifically in a WhatsApp chat used by district residents, that were “the furthest thing from the truth.”
The next Herricks Board of Education meeting will be June 8.
