East Rockaway Board appoints interim principal, approves personnel actions at special meeting

The East Rockaway Board of Education appointed Neil Lederer as interim principal of Center Avenue Elementary School and approved a package of personnel actions at a short special meeting Friday.

The board’s chair called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m. March 14 and presented the superintendent’s personnel schedule, which included an employment agreement for Neil Lederer that the board authorized the superintendent to execute on the district’s behalf. The chair then presented additional personnel items: a leave of absence for elementary school principal Kalia Kelly effective March 12, 2025; a non‑instructional monitored appointment for Rachel McElroy Gens with an effective date of March 17, 2025; and a tutoring assignment for Daisy Pendergrass effective January 31, 2025.

The chair moved the items into a consent agenda. A motion to create the consent agenda was made "Motion by Mrs. Doyle" and seconded by "Miss Dolores," and the chair declared the motion approved after the vote call. A subsequent motion to accept the consent agenda was made by Mr. Flores and seconded by Mrs. Doyle; the chair again called the question and declared the motion approved. The meeting record does not list individual roll-call votes; the chair announced approval of the motions.

The chair then moved to adjourn. The motion to adjourn, moved by Mrs. Doyle and seconded by Mr. Lawrence, was approved and the special meeting was adjourned at 4:06 p.m. The chair closed the meeting with brief well wishes to attendees.

The personnel actions approved at the meeting affect Center Avenue Elementary School and will be executed by the superintendent as authorized; the transcript does not specify the effective date for Neil Lederer’s interim appointment beyond the board’s authorization and does not list individual vote tallies.