Thursday, October 1, 2026
Dr. Ranier Melucci, superintendent of the Merrick School District, announced at an Aug. 6 Board of Education meeting that Dr. Donald Sturz has resigned as director of pupil services, and Birch School Principal Eric Arlin has been tapped to replace him, leaving the school without a principal in the fall.
Melucci said that administrators will try to have a temporary replacement chosen within the next two weeks, and expect to start formally advertising for a principal by the middle of the school year.
When asked by board Trustee Diane Seaman about the feasibility of finding a temporary replacement in such a short time, Melucci responded, "The key word in that sentence is ‘attempt.’"
School officials shed no light on Sturz's decision, which is effective Aug. 20, but expressed confidence in Arlin's ability to replace him. Sturz has worked in the district since July 2008, and Arlin since July 2007.
Melucci said that the district would use resources like the Board of Educational Services to find a temporary replacement.
The director of pupil services works primarily on issues pertaining to special education, speech and language, English as a Second Language, psychological and social services and nursing and medical services.
Also discussed at the meeting was a potential safety hazard to Birch students posed by a new Taco Bell being built on Merrick Road. The building, which will replace an old Taco Bell, abuts the school field at Birch, and Trustee Butch Yamali said that a gate from the field opens directly into the drive-through. Yamali asked that the gate be locked immediately to prevent accidents until there is a permanent solution.
