Hastings-on-Hudson board approves six tenure recommendations and honors a dozen retirees

The Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to grant tenure to six district staff and spent the first hour of the meeting honoring roughly a dozen retiring employees.

Superintendent Dr. McKersie called the group "remarkable" and urged the board to act. "I encourage you strongly to vote to make bring them into tenure," he told members before the motion. The board president made the motion to approve the six recommendations and a board member seconded; members responded in the affirmative and the motion carried.

The six employees recommended for tenure and recognized publicly included Marissa Barbera (Hillside kindergarten), Christine Samuel (fourth grade, Hillside), Dr. Ken Catron (ELA teacher, Farragut Middle School), Larry Saritani (special-education teacher), Matt Adi Pietro (physical-education teacher and coach) and Wendy White (counselor). Colleagues, administrators and family members described classroom practice, curriculum leadership, mentoring and schoolwide service. "She builds community in such a very special way," an introducer said of Barbera; several family emails and student comments were read into the record.

Before the business agenda resumed, the board also held an extended ceremony for nearly a dozen retirees from across the district, including teachers, counselors, nurses and buildings-and-grounds staff. Speakers recounted long tenures in classrooms and school offices, crisis response during 9/11 and COVID-era contributions, and service in extracurricular and community programs. Board members and colleagues offered gifts and tributes.

The board moved on to regular business after the recognitions, including approvals of consent items, placements and the meeting minutes.