Board discusses state regionalization plan; trustees agree to attach Nassau/Suffolk letter and post information
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Summary
Superintendent Lou Moyer briefed trustees on the state regionalization request, emphasizing the need for accurate information and local control. Trustees supported attaching the Nassau/Suffolk School Boards Association letter expressing reservations and asked the administration to post materials and a webpage for ongoing updates.
Superintendent Lou Moyer briefed the board on New York’s regionalization initiative and the district’s submission process. Moyer said districts were asked to submit a detailed packet to the state (initially due in November and later extended to December) and described the state’s objective as expanding student access to required graduation-opportunity options amid fiscal pressures. He cautioned that some of the quantitative prompts drew on older (2014) data and that the accelerated timeline (an executive order) had generated concern among local and regional associations.
Moyer said local BOCES superintendents and area districts are coordinating and that the state has indicated this is not intended to force consolidation; instead, the process could identify shared-service opportunities such as transportation. He also suggested that this work is likely tied to a separate study of the state funding formula and that regionalization outputs could inform budget recommendations next year.
Trustees asked how the district should respond. Several trustees (Larry, Tom and others) said they supported being on record with concerns and recommended the board attach and concur with the Nassau/Suffolk School Boards Association letter. One trustee suggested posting the letter and related resources on the district website; administration agreed to create a consolidated page with state materials, the association letter and related presentations.
Public comment during this item included a prepared statement from Lenny Olnick raising questions about legal language and a hypothetical pooling of per-pupil spending, and comments from Chrissy Ruggieri urging caution on using I Ready for program access and calling for stronger mental-health partnerships. Moyer and other administrators responded to questions and said the district will share updates publicly on the planned webpage.
Next steps: administration will post the association letter and other materials to the district website, continue coordination with BOCES partners, and return to the board with updates as the state publishes additional guidance.