A changing of the guard at Bellmore-Merrick schools

Administrator moving on, two moving up

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David Seinfeld, assistant superintendent for instruction in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, paused and let slip a tear when asked what he would miss the most after he retires at the end of the school year.

“I’m leaving behind friends — people I’ve become very close with in this district,” he said. “We work in a business that’s about relationships, and I’ve built some great relationships with people.”

Seinfeld was principal of Calhoun High School for 11 years before moving into the district’s administrative offices in 2014. About two months ago, he said, he received an offer to work in administration at LIU, and “it just made sense to take it.”

Seinfeld will leave behind a leadership shuffle at Calhoun and Mepham high schools. Current Mepham Principal Michael Harrington will step into Seinfeld’s administrative shoes, and Calhoun Assistant Principal Eric Gomez will become the Mepham principal.

Seinfeld isn’t worried, however. Not only do Harrington and Gomez share his educational philosophy, which places student well-being first, but also Seinfeld said he believes the district is also entering “a kind of a golden age,” starting with rising academic standards that students across the district are meeting.

“I do believe that when students are asked to rise to a higher level, they do,” Seinfeld said. “We support them and try to [teach] in a way that’s most personalized. And when they have a principal like Mike, who stands up in an auditorium and talks to them like they’re his own children, they all get motivated.”

“Look at the district’s data over the course of four, five or six years, and you’ll see some really interesting trends that show the students have risen to the occasion,” he noted.

“I think that our students are really succeeding,” Harrington agreed. “I think the students are connected, with a lot of school belonging. There’s nothing better than that.”

Gomez said that when he came on board with the district, Seinfeld was the first to interview him. “He opened the door for me to move forward,” he said.

According to Harrington, Seinfeld also taught him how to “lead with my heart … which I think summarizes his whole educational career.”

Seinfeld explained the concept: “It’s about caring for the people with whom you work. You’re in charge of the students’ health, welfare, growth, learning … It’s not about you. It’s about the people you care about.”

Harrington and Gomez “are tremendously smart people, don’t get me wrong,” he added. “They know how to teach a lesson, but they also know how to care about people.”

Seinfeld attributed much of what he sees as the district’s ongoing success to the superintendent, John DeTommaso, under whose leadership a nearly $50 million capital bond was approved in 2013, allowing for long-needed facility improvements district-wide. (The final phase of improvement project is expected to be complete in the 2017-18 school year.)

“John has done incredible things here,” Seinfeld said, speaking of DeTommaso. “In the blink of an eye, he got a bond approved by the [Board of Education] and voted on by the community. Our facilities were in desperate need of repair … We went from a place that was really not good to a place that’s exceptional.

And Seinfeld expects the district’s upward trajectory to continue after he’s gone. His advice to Gomez, as he takes over for Harrington, however?

“Buckle up,” he said, with a laugh, adding, “ Eric’s got really big shoes to fill and he knows that, but he can and he will. He’s going to take [Mepham] to new heights.”

“I’m there to make sure Eric’s buckle stays buckled,” Harrington said. “It’s all about the kids, though … We start with the kids and work our way up.”