Massapequa Public Schools used its opening assembly to recognize years of service, introduce new hires and describe recruitment challenges for certain positions, including career and technical education and school librarians.

The superintendent noted the district added six full-time elementary social workers through last years budget, describing the hires as “an important commitment.”

District leaders also recognized long-serving employees and announced a recent retirement: the superintendent introduced Pamela Alvarado as the successor to Anne Marie Lizzie, who retired in July after 37 years as superintendent secretary and district clerk, the superintendent said.

On recruitment the superintendent said elementary teacher postings regularly draw “hundreds” of resumes, while secondary and CTE positions draw far fewer applicants. He said the district receives “about 500” resumes for elementary roles and as few as three applicants for some secondary positions, and he framed that difference as a pipeline issue the district wants to address by raising career awareness among current students and collaborating with colleges and training programs.

The assembly also included a years-of-service recognition in which staff collectively accounted for roughly 11,646 combined years of service, according to the superintendents remarks.

District administrators at the event urged staff to mentor newer colleagues and to help cultivate interest in education careers among students as a long-term strategy for addressing shortages. No formal hiring motions or board votes were reported during the assembly; the remarks described actions already taken (budget-funded hires) and proposed directions for future recruitment efforts.