By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Dr. Santo Barbarino, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, will replace Dr. Philip Cicero as superintendent this July after more than two decades of educating the youth of Lynbrook.
"It's an honor to be appointed to this position," said Barbarino, a Lynbrook resident. "I'm happy to be working with a forward thinking board of education, one that embraces the initiatives."
Barbarino, a long-time veteran in the field of education, has held various teaching and administrative positions during his tenure in the Lynbrook school district. After teaching chemistry at Lynbrook High School from 1980-1984, Barbarino was named administrative assistant for instruction. In 1986, he was appointed high school principal and in 2006, was appointed to assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. "As a high school principal, my focus was on grades 9-12. That was my main concern," he said. "With a move to this level, I've become more concerned about K-12."
The district already has some initiatives in place, he said, like the Fundations reading program and the Character Education program, that have the district moving in the right direction. "Anything that addresses student character and positive social behavior is a good thing," he said. "School goes beyond academics. This focuses on how people treat each other, which is so important."
Barbarino said one of his first points of action is to create a building utilization committee. The crowded high school, the absence of a full day Kindergarten program and some program issues at the middle school, he said, are his major concerns. The new superintendent said he is aware of the challenges he will face in his new position, including the biggest challenge of ensuring that all students get the best educational opportunity. "Then I want to win the lacrosse championship," he said.
The biggest needs of the district for the upcoming school year, he said, is making sure the reading initiatives for grades K-5 and the new technology pilot are successful. "I just want to see the students succeed," he said. "It means a lot to me, they're my kids."
Barbarino's commitment to the betterment of Lynbrook's youth is exemplified through is accolades. This year, he was selected as the 2008 NYS Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York. Barbarino is also a long-time member of SAANYS, the Government Relations Committee and the Commissioner's Blue Ribbon Panel on School Leadership.
Comments on this story? Abottan@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
