Trustees Grant Tenure to 20 Faculty Members

Huntington School Board members have granted tenure to 20 faculty members who have served multiple years of probation and who have garnered strong evaluation ratings.

“Tenure decisions are perhaps the most important decisions a school board makes affecting the future of its students,” according to the New York State School Boards Association. .

Huntington School Board members voted unanimously at their public meeting this past Monday night to grant tenure to teachers Ivy Alvayero (guidance), Julie Ann Dooher (library media), Alexa Gentile (mathematics), Sara Guagliano (science), Kenia Guevara Moreira (world language), Mary Guzman-Lewis (social worker), Patricia Haack (elementary), Lorna Herbert (English as a new language), Meghan Johnston (elementary), Dawn Marmo (elementary), Celia Nacarlo (English), Ivano Naccarato (elementary), Peter Novellano (special education), Janese Pfeiffer (elementary), Rosemarie Rivera (elementary), Jessica Simms (art), Carli Smith (elementary), Mallory Travers (special education) and Tara Vatske (technology) and teacher assistant Kamaria Holt.

Deputy Superintendent Christopher Hender spoke about each of the newly tenured faculty members and how they have been standout employees during their probationary periods. Superintendent Beth McCoy then led her fellow cabinet members along with the Huntington School Board and the faculty members to the auditorium lobby for a commemorative photo.

Associated Teachers of Huntington officials were also on hand and presented a bouquet of flowers to teach teacher. Family members of the teachers were also among those in the audience.

“Under the law, the superintendent shall recommend to the board for tenure a probationary teacher who has given competent, efficient and satisfactory service, provided that the teacher must have earned either highly effective or effective ratings in three out of four of the probationary years and did not receive an ineffective rating in the most recent year,” states NYSSBA. “School boards should focus on the first part of that sentence (‘competent, efficient and satisfactory service’), not the second. The law permits the district to define what it will accept as competent, efficient and satisfactory service.”

New York State school boards typically grant tenure only to teachers who:

In addition to instructional effectiveness, the board should grant tenure only to teachers who:

• Have exemplary attendance and work ethic.

• Have demonstrated a trend of continuing improvement.

• Are highly regarded by students, parents, administrators and other teachers because they behave professionally under all circumstances.

“School boards should only grant tenure to those teachers who are likely to be contributors and a pleasure to work with for the duration of their careers,” according to NYSSBA.