Guy Leggio, Bob Vecchio share one of the state's top awards for public service
Leggio, at left, is a 1981 graduate of Bay Shore High School who has served on the Bay Shore board since 2008. Vecchio, at right, serves as executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan, James Escher
Two longtime volunteers on Long Island school boards are sharing one of the state’s highest awards for public service.
Bob Vecchio of the William Floyd school district and Guy Leggio of Bay Shore are winners of the Everett R. Dyer Award, which is given annually for outstanding service to children and public education in their home districts. Recognition comes from the New York State School Boards Association, representing more than 675 boards statewide.
Both Vecchio, who currently serves as executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, and Leggio, who is a Bay Shore trustee, will be honored next week when board members from around the state meet in Buffalo for their annual state convention.
Leggio, in a phone interview, credited his district’s entire five-member board for his own success.
“You need to work together,” Leggio said. “When people have different agendas, it’s hard to get things done.”
Vecchio, also reached by phone, said that “to be honored by your peers, people you work alongside of, is truly humbling.”
In a news release, the state boards association described both Vecchio and Leggio as hands-on leaders who have driven innovation in their districts.
Vecchio currently serves as executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. Credit: James Escher
A U.S. Navy veteran, Leggio organized his district’s takeover of a former armory, which was transformed into a state-of-the-art prekindergarten center. He also helped build a three-car garage at the Bay Shore High School athletic fields and laid bricks for a memorial garden.
Vecchio pushed the launch of construction projects and programs, including two schools specializing in educating students who need lower student-to-teacher ratios. He also advocated expanded career and technical education, and hosts a weekly radio show called “Spotlight on Long Island Schools.”
“They both demonstrate the power of sustained and collegial leadership to make a difference in the lives of our students,” said Peggy Zugibe, of North Rockland, president of the state organization.
Vecchio was first elected to William Floyd's board in 2003 and continued serving through 2021, with 15 years as president. In private life, he had a 30-year career in health-care accounting.
Leggio, a 1981 graduate of Bay Shore High School, has served on the Bay Shore board since 2008, with multiple terms as president and vice president. He worked in masonry for 35 years, and also as an award-winning wrestling coach in East Islip.
John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years.
