Outgoing East Rockaway Board of Education president proud of accomplishments

East Rockaway Board of Education President Keith Gamache said it was bittersweet to not seek re-election, but noted he was happy for everything he and his fellow trustees accomplished.

Courtesy East Rockaway School District

Outgoing East Rockaway Board of Education President Keith Gamache said that deciding not to run again for the board in May was a difficult decision, but it was the right one.

“When I started, my youngest son was in kindergarten. He’s in fifth grade now and that’s a good chunk of time,” Gamache said. “I’m looking forward to just being a civilian dad and being able to enjoy their school, their lives and their education without necessarily sitting up there on the board. It’s a lot of meetings and it takes a lot of time. I was super happy to have played the role I played over the last six years.”

Gamache announced at the board’s February meeting that he would not be running again in the May 19 election. He said he wanted to make the announcement early to enable potential candidates to have the opportunity to run, and to ask him advice if they needed it.

Gamache has served on the board for six years, and has been its president for the past two. He said he was proud of a lot of things he and the board have accomplished, including helping the district formulate and implement its strategic plan, which focuses on achievements, opportunities, communication and technology.

“I hope that future boards will want to keep that there,” he said of the plan. “I hope that future boards will continue to see that as a valuable thing for the school moving forward. I think all of the instructional and financial ground that has been made over the last several years, quantifiably, you can look at it and it’s measurable and there’s evidence there. That’s my biggest hope.”

Other work Gamache said he was proud of includes changes to the curriculum, adding a wrestling team in collaboration with the Rockville Centre School District, keeping the budget under the tax cap, adding safety personnel in each building and tripling the district’s BOCES enrollment, among many others.

Gamache also noted that he was pleased with the measured, transparent approach that he and the board took toward finalizing projects and renovations that will be funded by a $27.7 million bond. The board hosted several meetings with the community and garnered a lot of feedback from residents before moving forward, Gamache said. The patience was rewarded, as voters overwhelmingly approved the bond proposal in November.

His contributions have not gone unnoticed. On March 31, Gamache will be recognized as one of 16 honorees receiving the Nassau BOCES Education Partner Award during a gala. The award recognizes individuals who have made a substantial impact on public education in Nassau County.

“As recently acknowledged by Nassau BOCES with their awarding him the prestigious Education Partner Award, Mr. Gamache has been a true advocate for our students,” Superintendent Lisa Ruiz said, “and has provided leadership for many important initiatives, most recently the passage of our bond. The district thanks him for his many years of service to our community.”

Gamache said he was honored to be recognized, and added that Ruiz’s leadership helped create the opportunity for him. “I’m being recognized, but none of the ideas or things I would have been excited about could come to fruition if it didn’t have the support and leadership of the superintendent,” he said.

Before coming to East Rockaway, Gamache earned a bachelor’s in education from New York University, a master’s in fine arts from Johnson State College in Vermont and an administrative certificate from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He was raised in Massachusetts, but later moved to Long Island. He has been an art teacher at South Side High School in Rockville Centre for more than two decades, and now lives in East Rockaway with his wife and two sons, each of whom attends village schools.

Gamache’s departure means a new face will join the board for the third straight year. Dom Vulpis was elected as a trustee in 2018, while Kristen O’Hagan and Peter McNally joined the board last spring. Trustee Neil Schloth’s position on the five-person board is also up in May, but he said he has not decided whether to run again. Gamache acknowledged there has been a lot of change, but said that the new trustees have had strong ties to the community and have effectively contributed.

Gamache said without having to go to two meetings per month and sit in on countless other events while serving on the board, he will now focus on spending more time with his family and his hobbies, including running and painting. He added that he was happy for the outpouring of support he received after his announcement.

“It makes me feel like I’ve played an important role,” he said, “and people have appreciated the work that I’ve done.”