Saturday, June 14, 2025
Hewlett-Woodmere school district residents voiced their displeasure on Facebook when they heard the news that Alexandra Greenberg will not return in as Hewlett High School principal.
Greenberg, who started her tenure in July 2022, is in her third year as principal. She is the fifth principal at the high school in the past decade.
The news surfaced earlier this month, when residents discovered a job posting for the position on OLAS, an online education job search platform. On Feb. 14, district spokeswoman Barbara Giese said only, “The district posted the high school principal position today. The district cannot comment on personnel matters.”
On Facebook, residents appeared divided on Greenberg’s planned departure, and there was no shortage of speculation about the possible explanation. Community members created a petition on Feb. 14, urging the district to retain her as principal, gathering 283 signatures.
Laura Rosenberg, a member of a Facebook group made up of district 14 residents, posted a letter she had sent to district Superintendent Ralph Marino Jr., requesting more information on the matter and expressing support for Greenberg.
“It has come to our attention that Dr. Greenberg will no longer be HHS principal in the upcoming school year,” Rosenberg wrote. “This news is deeply concerning. We would like to request a further conversation and understand the reasoning for such a decision. We were extremely lucky to finally get a person of Dr. Greenberg’s caliber to lead us, and believe, we as a community, should do whatever it takes to keep her.”
Rosenberg encouraged others to add their names to the letter in support, and hundreds did so, before she sent it to Marino on Feb. 18.
Many other district residents took to social media to express their frustration with the news. Many credited Greenberg with exceptional leadership, noting to her presence outside the school each morning as she greeted students, her attendance at sporting events, her availability to meet with students and her encouragement of open communication in the school community.
District resident Eka Uspenskaya posted on Facebook that the district can’t afford to lose Greenberg. “Dr. Greenberg is absolutely amazing,” Uspenskaya wrote. “The way she structured and organized our high school is very impressive. She is open to students and their needs, personally knows everyone, greets parents and students in the mornings. Dr. Greenberg is an outstanding principal.”
Despite the support on social media, however, some residents said they didn’t believe she should return as principal. Four people contacted the Herald to share their opinions, but declined to be identified.
Some cited her relatively short tenure in previous positions as a concern, questioning her long-term commitment to the position. One-expressed reservations about Greenberg’s guidance, saying that greeting students in the morning and showing up at sporting events aren’t all there is to leadership.
“People have had vastly different experiences with Dr Greenberg,” this person wrote in a statement to the Herald. “The fact is that there are things that we don’t know about, so we have to have faith in the process and in the board that we elected. While we currently don’t have the facts, if you look at her previous job history, her last two positions were also short-lived, with her last position ending with a petition calling for her to step down.”
Three other people, who also requested anonymity, expressed similar concerns.
A petition was created in September 2021, on change.org, calling for Greenberg’s removal as assistant principal of Hampton Bays High School, saying that she played a part in creating a hostile learning environment for students at the school. It had 552 signatures, and was sent in to the Hampton Bays district office on Sept. 20, 2021.
At press time, the Hewlett-Woodmere district had provided no further details about Greenberg’s departure, or a timeline for filling the principal’s position.
Have an opinion on the Hewlett High School principal situation? Send a letter to mberman@liherald.com.
