Saturday, October 3, 2026
The Uniondale Board of Education began the school year with its annual reorganization meeting and an action session on July 7, re-electing Mary Bediako as board president for a three-year term.
Bediako, who won 770 tallies from voters in May, said she’s looking forward to the 2026-27 school year.
“We are now beginning a new school year, 26-27,” Bediako said. “Whatever happened last year, we don’t look to the back, we look to the front. We look ahead and do the right thing.”
The meeting followed the Uniondale voters’ approval of the district’s $296 million budget for the 2026-27 school year on May 19. The spending plan required a tax-cap override after district officials said limited state aid and rising costs would have forced roughly $2.7 million in cuts to staff, programs and services without the increase.
During the annual reorganization meeting, Nassau Family Court Judge Darlene Harris, also a Uniondale alumna administered the oath of office to superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil, board trustee Yvette Janniere and deputy treasurer Leonore Pringle. The board also appointed Sandra Edwards as district clerk and Anthony Telesa as temporary treasurer until Aug. 30. Board vice president Addie Blanko Harvey, who could not attend the meeting due to a family emergency, will be sworn in during the next board meeting.
Randdy Acosta, a rising senior and a five-course AP scholar at Uniondale High School, who just finished a semester at Hofstra University gaining credits before graduation, was sworn in as the new student trustee, replacing recent graduate Valentina Goris.
“I just happened to have the opportunity to sit in one of his seminar presentations, and he has a very creative mind,” Darrisaw-Akil said about Acosta. “He has a lot of ideas about ways he can support our student body.”
Acosta said he takes his new role as the student representative on the school board very seriously.
“Being a student board member is more than a picture on the wall,” he said. “It’s people understanding that kids are growing up with a greater responsibility.”
After the district officials were sworn in, Darrisaw-Akil gave a report about end-of-the-year celebrations and introduced several summer programs.
“Even though a lot of people are on vacation, the district is really the small hamlet that never sleeps,” the superintendent said. “There’s a lot of activities that we would like to provide some brief updates about.”
Before she began discussing summer enrichment programs, she congratulated students who have graduated and moved onto a different grade. She also added praise for students who have graduated with Advanced Regents diplomas and CTE certifications, seals of biliteracy, civic readiness, barbering, EMT and other distinguished accomplishments.
She also acknowledged rising juniors who scored a perfect grade on the global history and global geography Regents. Those students are Joshua Auguste, Daniel Flores, Alice Hernandez, Kevin Leiva Cabrera, K. Mejia Alverenga and K. Nieves Morales.
“This is an outstanding feat,” Darrisaw-Akil added in praise.
After the superintendent’s report, Rhonda Taylor, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, spoke about Uniondale summer enrichment programs. Taylor expressed her gratitude to the more than 1,200 students in the district who decided to attend summer school on their own accord.
“We do not end instruction on June 30th,” Taylor said, explaining that those students chose not to stay home, sleep late or watch television. The district’s high school students choose to take the summer courses for credit or if they wish to get ahead in their studies, she added.
As for the summer arts program, some students from K-12 do not end their day at noon. After attending summer courses, their day continues until 4 p.m., practicing instruments such as the saxophone and clarinet and taking a physical approach to singing and dance, among other extracurricular activities.
Acosta shared his experience in the summer arts program, serving as a counselor teaching kids in his third consecutive year in music.
“We are really excited about the opportunity for our children to avoid what we call the ‘summer slide,’” Darrisaw-Akil said, using a term to describe the loss of academic skills or knowledge during summer vacation.
A meta-analysis led by academic social psychologist Harris Cooper and published in the Review of Educational Research found that achievement test scores declined over the summer, with the average loss equal to about one month of learning. The study found that summer break had a greater impact on mathematics than reading.
The district runs a MBK Summer Reading Program called “Just Read,” Darrisaw-Akil said, describing it as an easy opportunity for students to brush up on their reading skills in the summer. The goal is to ensure students are reading on grade level by third grade. All parents need to do is log their child’s reading with any book by Aug. 15. To pick up log forms, parents can visit the Uniondale library, ShopRite of Uniondale. For more information visit uniondalelibrary.org.
The superintendent said the children who participated would be invited to a special event, which she did not specify.
The superintendent also mentioned some district upgrades, such as brand-new bleaches in the high school gym, renovated classroom sinks, and improved lighting in some elementary schools and in the high school.
Irrigation projects are also beginning at Grand Avenue School, which she said the district is proud about, and she included updates of the school’s Little Theater, where board meetings take place. Lawrence Road Middle School will also have a new wellness center, she added.
“While others are on the beach, our building and staff are working really hard to upgrade our facilities,” Darrisaw-Akil said.
Next Board of Education Action Meeting will take place on Aug. 25, 7 p.m. at Uniondale High School.
