Lawrence BOE reorganizes for another year

Shulamith lease renewed, teachers gain tenure

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Bouquets, both of flowers and words, were handed out at the Lawrence Board of Education organizational meeting in the middle school cafeteria on July 10.
The trustees in attendance re-elected Murray Forman president and Dr. Asher Mansdorf vice president of the board, respectively. Dr. Ann Pedersen presided over her first BOE meeting as superintendent and four teachers were granted tenure.

“I truly believe this district has transformed from a place that was challenging to a place that is exhilarating,” Mansdorf said. “We are prepared to move into a new era that is student-centric. It is where we need to go and we have the person to lead us there.”


Pedersen has worked in Lawrence for 25 years. She succeeded Gary Schall who retired on June 30. She has served as a kindergarten teacher, principal of the Number Four School and deputy superintendent with responsibility of overseeing the district’s curriculum and instruction. In explaining what motivates her, Pedersen said: “It comes from a passion to teach.”


Agenda items
Included among the many items that the board approved were two that involved large sums of money. The tax levy — the amount of money collected from taxpayers — was set at $88,537,296. The district also negotiated another agreement with the Shulamith School for Girls that is leasing the Number Five School in Cedarhurst. The lease is for $515,000 and extends from Sept. 1 of this year to Aug. 31, 2018. There is an option for another year, according to Forman. The sale of the building remains a possibility, he added.

Teacher tenure
Nicole Chesner, a speech teacher at Lawrence High School; Valerie Perrotta, a special education teacher at Lawrence Elementary School; Tom Riley, a music instructor and English teacher Katelyn Walsh, who both teach at the high school, were all granted tenure. Lawrence Elementary School Principal Rina Beach presented Perrotta with flowers after the official announcement, Perrotta’s mother, Ellen, was in attendance.

Contrite statement
During the public comment portion, Woodmere resident Asher Matathias, who has run for school board the past four years and serves as a gadfly and has verbally attacked school officials extended a peace offering to Pedersen and noted his conversation with the new superintendent to “break the Gordian knot and begin to reestablish our relationship.”

Matathias said he would like to restore giving a graduating Lawrence High School senior scholarship money from the Five Towns chapter of the B’nai B’rith. Students from Hewlett High and the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway are recipients. He also asked the district if they would reconsider assigning him teaching assignments again. Previously on the substitute list, Matathias has not been called for a few years.

“We welcome and appreciate all support for our students and are delighted about the scholarship,” Pedersen said, who confirmed she met with Matathias. “Obviously it must be with no contingency, such as his return as a substitute teacher.”