Executive Director's Message

Budget season is now behind us and there was an overwhelming amount of support for public education demonstrated by over 97% of the budgets on Long Island being approved and the margins of approval were extremely high averaging over 70%.

We want to congratulate all of the trustees who were re-elected, thank you for your continued commitment and service to your communities. We also want to congratulate and welcome all the newly elected trustees who will be taking office this coming July.

If you have trustees who were newly elected, be sure to sign them up for the New School Board Member Dinner which will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2024 at the Hamlet Golf & Country Club, in Commack. The event will begin at 6pm. Your district clerk has registration details. This is a great event for the newly elected to learn about their new roles and hear from veteran board members about best practices for successful governance teams.

One area of note with this year's vote was that turnout remains low in comparison to the number of registered voters in our school districts. In the coming year, we will work on strategies to help promote a get out the vote campaign for the region because turnout matters on so many levels.

As we head into June, we want to take this moment to thank everyone for their support and attendance at our events this past year.

N-SSBA hosted a total of 10 events this year. We had 6 in-person and 4 online events this year, and we had over 1,200 registrants for these events which is an increase over last year by 9%.

The Association also welcomed 2 new districts to our membership and we hope to continue to grow our membership in the coming year.

Be sure to check out our "save the dates" section for the events we already have scheduled for next year as we begin to plan ahead to bring you more opportunities for leadership development and timely information to help our governance teams.

Enjoy the end of the year celebrations, because we have much to be proud of and celebrate in regards to public education on Long Island.

13 School Board Members Honored

On May 30, 2024 school board members and school officials attended the 64th Annual Business Meeting and School Board Service Awards Dinner at the Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack.

The voting delegates approved the slate of Officers and Executive Committee members and N-SSBA's operating budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

Kym Laube, Executive Director of HUGS Inc. offered powerful remarks on the issues of student mental health and addiction.

After dinner 12 school board members and 1 former school official were recognized by their service to public education on Long Island.

John Verdone the recipient of N-SSBA's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, reminded those in attendance that "School Board Service is not a thankless job, it's a priceless one!"

Congratulations to this year's honorees!

William Floyd High School Celebrates

Largest CTE Signing Day In Program History

William Floyd High School recently held its annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Signing Day ceremony, celebrating nearly 120 students who intend to continue along their CTE pathway by entering directly into the workforce, or continuing their education in a technical program or in college. The Career and Technical Education program is proud to announce that this year’s class is the largest in school history!

During the ceremony, students were recognized individually and by each CTE academy, and commemorated the occasion by signing a non-binding certificate of commitment to their future along with a CTE signing day poster that will be saved as a William Floyd High School keepsake.

Juniors and seniors who attend William Floyd High School have the opportunity to enroll in academy-style programs for a block of two-to-three periods each day based on the program of study, including:

Accounting, Architecture, Business Management, Engineering and Microsoft Office Specialist. CTE Academy offerings include Automotive, Barbering, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Home Design & Carpentry (with electrical and plumbing), Medical Assisting, Marine & Motorsports and Personal Training & Nutrition.

Special thanks to Allison Wiegand, chairperson, Career and Technical Education; Jackie Giacalone, chairperson, Business and Technology Education; ad Robert Felicetta, assistant principal, William Floyd High School, for all of their efforts in organizing this ceremony and overseeing this successful program.

North Babylon Shows Off Its Diversity

Representing the diversity of its school district and community, North Babylon School District held a Multicultural Night in the North Babylon High School cafeteria on May 2, 2024.

Different countries were on display and students showed off traditional attire, presented food tasting and spoke to guests about the history and culture of the country. Some of the countries represented included Greece, Italy, Ireland, Peru, Pakistan, Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Austria and more.

The community event involved students and staff from all levels – elementary, middle and high school. It also included help from many of the honor societies such as science, drama, foreign language, art and National Honor Society. “In the second year in this format, the multicultural festival welcomed representatives of 10 countries,” said teacher Selina Durio.

“This representation was by students, teachers and North Babylon families. This event continues to show of our district’s great diversity and how as a community we strive to bring all together as one.”