At the Aug. 28 Mineola Union Free School District Board of Education meeting, trustees recognized the retirement of William “Billy” Gilbert, who has overseen the district’s transportation and bus operations for almost two decades.

Superintendent Michael Naglas recounted recruiting Gilbert during a budget crisis in 2005 and said he asked Gilbert to run the bus department on a trial basis; Naglas said it became a nearly 20‑year tenure during which Gilbert expanded and supervised a complex bus operation, helped monetize routes, managed vehicle inspections and ensured consistent service. Naglas said, “I personally turned to Billy and said, look. I need somebody in house to really run this department, and I think you can do it,” and added that Gilbert “has done tremendous” work and wished him well in retirement.

Trustee Margaret Ballantine said Gilbert’s work made parents feel secure and praised his reliability and responsiveness. Another trustee noted the district once held a referendum on maintaining in‑house bus service, which passed overwhelmingly.

Gilbert’s retirement was included in the consent/consensus agenda and the board approved the consensus agenda by voice vote. The board did not take separate action beyond including the retirement in the consensus items; follow‑up tasks were identified in personnel processing to finalize retirement paperwork.