Wyandanch schools name Larry Aronstein interim superintendent amid continued leadership turmoil
Aronstein, 81, of Great Neck, said he would work to stabilize the district as it finds a permanent superintendent to take over after his one-year term. Credit: Wyandanch Union Free School District
The Wyandanch school board appointed a second interim superintendent Thursday, just days before the contract for the current interim schools chief was set to expire and amid chaotic leadership changes that included the removal of its board president.
Larry Aronstein, a longtime educator who retired from Glen Cove City schools in 2010 and was most recently the interim superintendent of the North Babylon district during 2022-23, will begin Monday.
His contract is to run until the end of the 2024-25 academic year, according to a resolution approved by a vote of 4-0-1. Four trustees, Nancy Holliday, Shirley Baker, Kathy Corbin and Latesha Walker, voted in favor. Charlie Reed abstained, and James Crawford was not present. The district did not disclose his compensation. Aronstein also declined to say how much he will be paid.
Aronstein, 81, of Great Neck, said he would work to stabilize the district as it finds a permanent superintendent to take over after his one-year term. He will succeed Arlise Carson, who was hired for the same interim role after former Superintendent Gina Talbert left last summer to lead the Amityville district.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The Wyandanch school board appointed a second interim superintendent Thursday, just days before the contract for the current interim schools chief was set to expire.
- Larry Aronstein, a longtime educator who most recently was the interim superintendent of the North Babylon district during 2022-23, will begin Monday.
- The move is the latest in chaotic leadership changes in the Wyandanch district. On Wednesday, board president Jarod Morris was ousted from his seat.
The ushering-in of Aronstein appeared sudden and swift.
Aronstein said the district contacted him earlier this week. He came in for an interview Thursday and the agreement was approved at a special board meeting Thursday night.
In a regularly scheduled board meeting Wednesday, Carson said in passionate remarks that she was proud of the work she’s done in Wyandanch, and she had accomplished dozens of goals she was given “with integrity and no compromise.” Her speech drew rounds of applause from a packed audience, some of whom spoke in support of her.
“I did not decide to leave. It was decided for me,” she said. “The lack of compromise — it may have cost me this job. But I came with my integrity, and I leave with it.”
'Not my first rodeo'
Aronstein, who began his educational career in 1964 as a junior high school science teacher in Queens and has since worked in several Long Island districts, said he’s up for the challenge.
“Over the course of my career, I have just seen about everything and dealt with everything,” he said in an interview Friday. “This is not my first rodeo.”
Aronstein said he will begin by sitting down with board members, union leaders and others in a listening tour. “I love a challenge,” he said. “I feel very confident that we will be successful.”
Wyandanch is one of only two public school districts of 124 on Long Island that has been assigned a state monitor to help make improvements in budgeting, operations and other areas. Albert Chase, a veteran Long Island school business manager, has been the state’s fiscal monitor for the 2,700-student district since April 2020.
In the past year, the district has had multiple administrators placed on paid leave. Soon after Milton L. Olive Middle School Principal Shannon Burton and Assistant Principal Kimberly Clinton were reassigned last fall, the board hired a firm to investigate allegations regarding grading issues at the middle school.
The district did not answer written questions from Newsday, including the status of that investigation, on Friday.
Board president ousted
At the Wednesday meeting, board president Jarod Morris was ousted from the board by a 4-3 vote, with Morris, Reed and Crawford against it. According to a resolution, the board approved charges of official misconduct against Morris in late May and a hearing on the charges was held June 20 before hearing officer Howard Bergson.
Newsday has requested the charges filed and Bergson’s findings issued earlier this month. The district has yet to release them.
According to the resolution, Bergson recommended Morris be terminated as a board member, a recommendation the board adopted Wednesday.
Morris said he will file an appeal with state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa.
“I believe in good faith and consideration of the merits of this case she will restore me to my elected seat so that I may continue advocating for the children and holding the board accountable,” Morris said in a statement to Newsday.
Morris’ term was to end in 2026. Board vice president Holliday referred questions to the district’s public relations firm.
The board will soon have two new members, as Felice Holder and Shameka Brown will be sworn in. Holder defeated Holliday in the May election.
A spokesman from the state Education Department said Holliday filed a petition Tuesday to contest Holder's eligibility to run for a school board seat based on the residency requirement. Holder did not immediately respond to a call for comment Friday.
Generally, school board candidates must be residents of their districts continuously for one year before the election.
The board is expected to convene Monday in a reorganizational meeting where the new members are expected to be sworn in and a president and vice president elected.
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.