Wantagh superintendent gets extension

Maureen Goldberg will remain the superintendent of the Wantagh School District for at least another year. The Board of Education has extended her contract to keep her at the district’s helm through the 2016-17 school year — her 40th in the district.

Following a unanimous vote at the December board meeting, trustees expressed gratitude that Goldberg has agreed to continue leading the 3,100-student district. “The board is very happy with Mrs. Goldberg’s performance,” Board President Ann-Marie Sturniolo said. “She’s done a lot to pull the district together.”

Sturniolo specifically cited the work that Goldberg has done to raise morale among the district’s staff.

Goldberg brought stability to the district in 2012 after a year of turnover in the superintendent ranks, which saw two interim leaders followed by a new superintendent departing after three months. In September 2012, just weeks into a new school year, Goldberg was elevated from principal of Forest Lake Elementary School, a position she held for 17 years, to become acting superintendent.

The following April, Goldberg was given a three-year contract to become the permanent schools chief. This was to be the final year of that deal, but Goldberg’s extension now takes her to July 18, 2017. Next year, she will be paid the same $240,000 salary she is receiving this year.

Board of Education Vice President Michael Cucci said it is reassuring to know that they made the right decision in promoting her three years ago. “She’s proven herself time and time again to handle any situation that arises,” he said, “and she has the full support of the board. We’re very happy to extend her contract.”

Cucci added that Goldberg was initially chosen as acting superintendent because they knew she could work well with the existing central administration, and that she was held in high esteem within the community.

Goldberg began her career at a parochial school in Queens in 1972, then spent a year teaching in the Bronx before coming to Wantagh in 1977 as a special education teacher at what was then the junior high school. She said that was around the time that special education was becoming a mandated service in schools, and districts had much smaller programs and staffs than exist today.

In 1981, she became the director of pupil personnel service, a position she held until 1995, minus a five-year absence to have her three children, during which Goldberg said she still found small ways to be involved with the district.

Her jump to superintendent may have been unexpected, but Goldberg said she is glad to be there. “I enjoy the position,” she said. “The district is great. The staff and students are wonderful.”

Goldberg cited several of the district’s accomplishments over the past three years including implementing new reading and math programs, expanding the STEAM initiative (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), and increasing the overall rigor of courses offered in the schools to prepare students for college and careers.

Several members of the administrative staff were hired by Goldberg, including both assistant superintendents and two elementary principals.

“I just want to finish up some of the initiatives that have begun,” she said of accepting the board’s offer for an extension. “It’s my honor to serve the Wantagh School District for an additional year.”