Administrative changes in District 24

In response to the demands from the New York State Education Department and the United State Department of Education’s Race to the Top initiative, the District 24 Board of Education appointed Dr. Lisa Conte, principal of the Robert W. Carbonaro School, as a part-time district curriculum developer and network team coordinator. Carbonaro fourth-grade teacher Jim Friel was named a part-time assistant principal, for when Conte is working on district curriculum projects.

The new position will help ensure that the district moves forward in improving its educational program for students, said Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale. Essentially, there will now be someone in-district who can offer their expertise, as opposed to spending money to hire an outside consultant, he noted.

“The curriculum and instruction that has to be carved out between now and 2013 has to increase significantly in order to make sure we are in compliance with the new program,” he said. Fale added that he, Assistant Superintendent Dan Onorato and the Board of Education decided it would be in the district’s best interest to have a part-time curriculum specialist.

Conte has an extensive curriculum background, Fale explained. She holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Dakota. In addition, she also previously served in a curriculum position in Idaho before coming to Valley Stream nearly a decade ago.

As a curriculum developer, she will coordinate the implementation of data-driven instruction, performance evaluation standards, and new Common Core learning standards. The latter has been adopted by 44 states including New York, Conte explained. She will also work with Fale and Alf Rasmussen, a William L. Buck School psychologist, as part of a network team. The three administrators will work together to oversee and train staff members in those three areas. Conte will work on curriculum, in addition to her principal duties at Carbonaro.

She will be out of the school an average of two days during each six-day cycle, to complete curriculum responsibilities, including attending educational sessions in Albany. The goal is follow state guidelines to train staff members in all three areas, also focusing on the grade 3-6 math and English language arts assessments. “We hope to roll that out, and implement with success,” Conte said.

To help Conte, Friel will handle student and personnel matters and day-to-day management, including student arrival and dismissal, at Carbonaro. He had already carried out those duties before in Conte’s absence, Fale said. In addition, Friel has served as summer school principal for more than a decade.

“My goal is to assist the students and staff,” Friel said, “and create a very positive educational atmosphere.”

In Friel’s absence, teaching assistant Stacey Valenza will lead his class. Valenza will be assigned to the room on a full-time basis, so that the students can get to know her, Fale said.

Though both Conte and Friel found out about their new jobs a few weeks ago, the board officially voted 6-1 for the appointments at the Sept. 21 meeting. Conte will receive a stipend of $10,000, and Friel will get an additional $8,000.

Board President Frank Nuara explained why both Conte and Friel were right for the job. “Dr. Conte, in the past, had done curriculum work for the district, and had done leadership responsibility,” he said, “so it was a natural implementation for her to be in the position for what we are trying to do. Mr. Friel had been principal for summer school. Besides that, he had stepped in as acting principal before. He had quite a bit of experience so we asked if he would be interested in assuming that responsibility.”