Parents, students press Connetquot board to restore full work‑based learning and business staff

Dozens of students, parents and teachers used the board’s public comment periods on June 11 to urge the Connetquot Central School District to preserve and restore staff tied to the district’s work‑based learning program and to reverse recent business‑department cuts.

Speakers from current and former students to business teachers said the work‑based learning program and the district’s business classes provide crucial career exposure, internships and mentorships. "This program works because it does adhere to the needs of students," said Ariel Green, a 2025 graduate, who credited the program and its staff with helping her secure early employment and skills. Parent John Rapon told the board that coordinating the program requires substantial off‑site employer outreach, scheduling, supervising placements, writing training plans and tracking student hours — duties he said cannot be fulfilled if the coordinator is also assigned regular classroom instruction. "Teaching two classes plus a third prep period is not merely adding additional responsibilities," Rapon said, warning that those changes would force the district to cut career exploration activities such as job shadowing and employer tours.

At least one teacher, Linda Zimmerly, testified that the business department has lost roughly 30% of its staff in two years and that students already are being turned away from courses, including a newly offered AP‑level personal finance course. Student leaders from National Business Honor Society and DECA described cancelled sections and the loss of mentorship that they said reduces real‑world readiness.

In response, Superintendent Dr. Joseph Cenmore told the audience the district is not cutting the program. "The workbased learning program ... is not being cut or reduced whatsoever," he said, adding the district would receive and respond to community concerns. Board members asked for further clarifications about which duties would be reassigned and whether class scheduling changes were finalized; administrators said some staffing and master schedule decisions are still in progress as the district prepares for the 2026‑27 school year.

Board members acknowledged public frustration and said they would review the details before finalizing personnel assignments. Several speakers asked the trustees to delay formal personnel votes until they had additional information; much of the personnel business was enacted later in the meeting under the consent agenda, with routine abstentions recorded.

What happens next: Board members said they will follow up with administration to provide more detail on how the work‑based learning coordinator’s duties will be scheduled and whether any student placements or employer relationships will be reduced. Parents and community members asked the board to consider restoring full‑time coordination or finding other ways to protect off‑site employer relationships and job‑shadowing opportunities.