By MIKE CAPUTO
In a 4-2 vote at a short work session on June 18, the Board of Education hired DeAngelo and signed him to a three-year contract. His starting salary will be $205,000, which is among the lowest for Nassau County superintendents. Guaranteed raises are not included in the contract, but could be enacted by the board based on yearly performance reviews.
The four affirmative votes required for DeAngelo's hiring were uncertain until the six board members revealed their choices. Trustee Abby Rothschild-Kaplan, who introduced the resolution, had the deciding vote, joining colleagues Brian O'Flaherty, Walter Skinner and Marcee Rubinstein, who had previously expressed support for DeAngelo.
Throughout the process, Rothschild-Kaplan said, she remained unsure of her position. Knowing DeAngelo made her decision much easier, she explained. "I believe Lou DeAngelo is extremely qualified to be superintendent of schools," she said. "His 25 years of dedication to the East Meadow school district and professional experience will enable him to provide leadership for our schools during a very challenging time. I look forward to working with him."
Trustees Steven Jacobs and Al Semonella voted against the hiring of DeAngelo. Jacobs emphasized that his vote expressed opposition to the process, and not DeAngelo's candidacy. "My vote regarding the superintendence was not a vote against Lou DeAngelo," Jacobs said. "The resolution indicated that we had exercised due diligence. I made it clear that night, and separately to Mr. DeAngelo, that my vote was against the process ... The first search is outdated and the second search, which consisted of an advertisement in The New York Times, was not comprehensive enough.
"I made it clear to Mr. DeAngelo that I support him as superintendent, I respect him and I will do everything in my power to make sure he is the best superintendent that East Meadow has ever seen," Jacobs added.
Skinner, the school board vice president, said that he had supported DeAngelo from the beginning and was "ecstatic" about the hiring. "I have been there for the last three years, through two searches," Skinner said. "We have done our due diligence. Lou was our man for the job."
Along with former Trustee Diana DeVito, who resigned on June 11 for unspecified reasons, Jacobs and Semonella looked into the option of conducting a third superintendent search with the help of an outside firm. The school board used such a firm during its first search last spring, after which two final candidates withdrew their applications. A second search was conducted last fall, beginning with an advertisement in The Times in October. That search, conducted by district administrators, did not yield any suitable candidates.
DeAngelo will replace Interim Superintendent Leon Campo, a longtime East Meadow administrator who will retire when his contract ends on Tuesday. Campo, who was previously an assistant superintendent, agreed in August 2007 to stay on until the school board found a replacement for Dr. Robert Dillon, who resigned before his contract expired.
The district operated for nearly two years without a permanent superintendent, a period marred not only by the two failed searches but by numerous disagreements among board members. Following the withdrawal of the two final candidates in the first search, the board extended Campo's contract to one more year, through the end of this June.
"The East Meadow Teachers Association hopes that, in his new role as superintendent, Mr. DeAngelo will use his position to lead the district in a new, positive direction," said John Gallagher, president of the teachers union. "This includes articulating a clear, innovative vision for student instruction, providing support and encouragement for district staff, and expending tax dollars in a responsible manner."
The district's new leader
DeAngelo, who grew up in Old Bethpage, earned his undergraduate degree in Florida and then completed a master's in special education at Hofstra. He went on to earn a professional diploma in educational administration from New York University and take courses at Cornell's School of Industrial Labor Relations.
After working for 11 years as a teacher and administrator in various Florida and New York schools, DeAngelo was hired by the East Meadow district in 1985 as the director of special education. His position was eventually combined with that of the director of pupil personnel services, in which he served until he was appointed assistant superintendent for human resources in 2001.
When the superintendent's position was vacated in 2007, DeAngelo did not initially express an interest, saying he was happy with his administrative role. But as the process progressed and school leaders began mentioning his name in their discussions, he said he became intrigued.
Now that he is in the hot seat, DeAngelo will have much to do in the next three years. All of the district's union labor contracts are set to expire at some point during his tenure. It took three years for the Teachers Association and the district to come to an agreement in September 2007.
With the future of the economy uncertain, crafting school budgets and labor contracts may be challenges, but DeAngelo said that he is ready to take them on. "I have a good working knowledge of all of our contractual agreements," he said. "I know that we have some tough times ahead, and I look forward to being able to work collaboratively to bring about something that is fair for both our hardworking staff as well as our hardworking taxpayers."
He also faces the challenge of working with a divided school board. DeAngelo explained that his first task will be to ensure that the entire district community is working together. "I am very familiar with all facets of our schools," he said. "The fostering of collaboration among our Board of Education, the superintendent, our teaching, administrative and support staff, our parents, students and community groups, and our community at large, needs to be the primary focus as we move ahead to build upon the fine tradition of education in East Meadow."
Next meeting
The last meeting before the board reorganizes in July was scheduled for Thursday night at 6:30 in the Campo Salisbury Center, 718 The Plain Road in Salisbury.
The independent and internal claims auditors were scheduled to make a presentation. And according to a board official, a serious discussion was expected about appointing a replacement for former trustee DeVito.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
