Nassau BOCES led by deputy superintendent as search begins for Robert Dillon's successor
The revitalization of the Long Island High School for the Arts was one of the projects that Nassau BOCES district Superintendent Robert Dillon was working on. He died last month. Credit: Barry Sloan
With the death of Nassau BOCES district Superintendent Robert Dillon, people within the education community are exploring the next steps in finding a permanent leader for the agency.
In the meantime, Deputy Superintendent James Widmer will continue overseeing the agency, something he has done since April, a Nassau BOCES representative said. An interim district superintendent is typically appointed, usually from a nearby BOCES.
“It is too early to know the exact details of our current selection process,” said Angela Marshall, a Nassau BOCES spokeswoman, in an email.
Dillon, 72, died July 28 due to complications from spinal surgery he had in April. The agency he had led since 2015 serves more than 55 Nassau school districts and nearly 200,000 students. It helps oversee important school programs such as some for special-needs children and offers support services for school districts.
Dillon also had worked on the revitalization of the Long Island High School for the Arts.
Robert Dillon in 2015. Credit: Allyse Pulliam
Dominick Palma, superintendent of the Merrick Union Free School District and past president of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents, wants to see the role filled with a sound, permanent candidate as soon as possible.
“My concern is that it’s really important to fill this role with the right person … because leaving that vacancy will definitely have a negative impact on education in Nassau County,” Palma said.
Still, he said, Widmer is doing an excellent job in the acting role.
The district superintendent is both the chief of the agency and a regional representative for the state education commissioner, according to the Nassau BOCES website and education professionals.
Marshall laid out the broad strokes of how finding Dillon’s replacement could work. The state Education Department and the Nassau BOCES Board of Education must approve a final candidate, she said. District superintendents are employed both by BOCES and the state Education Department, according to Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
When a district superintendent seat is empty, Marshall said, the state Education Department requires a consolidation study to determine if it makes sense for BOCES to be combined with another. However, a merger with another BOCES isn’t expected.
“While it is policy for the state to conduct a consolidation study in the current situation, we do not anticipate Nassau BOCES being consolidated with another, neighboring BOCES,” Marshall said in a separate email. In Suffolk County, there is Eastern Suffolk BOCES and Western Suffolk BOCES.
Nassau BOCES may hire a search firm to seek qualified candidates, though that has not been decided, Marshall said.
Roger Tilles, a longtime member of the Board of Regents who represents Long Island, said Dillon left his imprint on the Nassau BOCES, particularly with special education services and vocational training. Now, Tilles believes, the people in place are working to continue Dillon’s work.
“We will continue to serve all the kids and not leave some behind, and … that’s what I think his legacy for Nassau BOCES is and [it] will continue,” he said.
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
