Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education held its annual reorganization meeting July 7.
The meeting began with nominations for board president. District 13 Trustee Patricia Farrell nominated District 24 Trustee John Maier for president. Maier was elected unanimously and assumed leadership of the meeting, switching seats with former President Kelly Ureña. He was sworn in by school attorney Christopher Shishko.
“As board President, my focus is on making sure every student in this district has access to opportunities,” Maier said. “That means expanding academic programs, arts, career and technical pathways, and extracurriculars so students can find what they’re good at and pursue it. I also want to make sure our teachers have the support and resources they need because you can’t expand opportunities for students without investing in the people delivering them.”
Maier has been a Valley Stream resident since 2003, and his daughter attended Valley Stream schools. He joined his daughter’s school’s PTA, eventually serving as co-president of the organization. In 2013, he was elected to the Valley Stream Board of Education, where he previously chaired several committees and served as vice president.
“I think this board has done a good job maintaining fiscal responsibility while still protecting core programs for students even as the district has faced mounting budget pressures, enrollment changes and state funding challenges,” Maier said. “I do believe there’s more we can do, particularly when it comes to expanding opportunities for students. I want to build on what’s worked and push further on the areas where I think we can do better.”
After Maier was sworn in, nominations for vice president were taken, with Farrell nominating District 13 Trustee Anthony Grosso. Like Maier, Grosso was elected unanimously. Because Grosso was not present at the meeting, his oath of office was postponed. Afterward, Superintendent Wayne Loper and District Clerk Dina Innella also took their annual oaths of office.
The board’s business meeting began immediately following the reorganization meeting. Kelly Whitney-Rivera, the Valley Stream Central High School District’s director of guidance and chief information officer, spoke about the New York State Major Life Event Exemption, a policy that allows high school students to be exempt from taking Regents exams if they have experienced an event beyond their control that prevents them from taking, preparing for or performing well on the exams.
Whitney-Rivera described how the Valley Stream Central High School District enacted the plan, as well as the major life events that qualify a student for an exemption, including cancer treatment, hospitalization, serious injury, a house fire, the death of a parent or person in parental relation, homelessness, and trauma related to deportation or detainment.
Other issues covered during the business meeting included diversity hiring, efforts to connect current students with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and ways the district has promoted careers in the education field to students.
One member of the public spoke during the public comment period at the end of the meeting. Shehla Islam, a Valley Stream resident whose children attend South High School, spoke about support for English as a New Language students and issues regarding communication between those students’ families and the school.
