NEN board of education approves administrative reorganization, eliminates two positions

At the December 12 meeting of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Board of Education, the board approved several administrative staffing changes in alignment with a two-phase reorganization plan presented by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dave Moyer. The plan’s first phase decreases the number of administrative positions in the district by two, effective July 1, 2025. In phase two, the proposed administrative reorganization plan will result in a reduction of two additional administrative positions by the 2027-2028 school year.

At the meeting, the board approved the abolishment of six administrative positions: Director of Technology; District Reading and Academic Intervention Specialist Coordinator; K-12 English/Language Arts Department Chair; K-12 Math Department Chair; K-12 Science, Technology and Engineering Department Chair; and K-12 Social Studies Department Chair. 

The board approved the establishment of four new administrative positions, which reassigned current administrators to new roles, effective July 1, 2025: Director of Humanities; Director of Instructional Services; Director of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); and Executive Director of Technology (which will be a district Cabinet position). The personnel changes to administrative roles can be viewed here. 

“The abolishment of previous administrative positions and the creation of the new positions effectively consolidates administrative responsibilities and allows for the reduction in administrative staff,” reads a district statement made after the plan was approved unanimously at the December 12 meeting.

The new appointments follow the upcoming retirements of two school principals: Dr. Timothy Hoss and Sabina Larkin, from Northport Middle School and Ocean Avenue Elementary School, respectively.  

According to a press release from the district, the Director of Humanities will provide districtwide support for social studies and English language arts and the Director of STEM will provide districtwide support for science, technology, engineering and math. The Director of Instructional Services will provide district-wide support for a variety of instructional functions, such as multi-tiered systems of support, mentoring and induction, the gifted and talented program, professional learning, the supervision of instructional coordinators, future-focused teacher leaders, media specialists, and other related instructional support responsibilities, the district stated. 

A comprehensive list of responsibilities for each new position can be found here.  

In phase two of the administrative reorganization plan, it is anticipated that the board will be asked to abolish the K-12 World Language and ENL (English as a New Language) Department Chair position and one Assistant Principal position at Northport High School for the 2027-2028 school year. That will include the transfer of responsibility for world language support to the Director of Humanities position and the responsibility for ENL programming support to the Director of Student Services.

During last week’s BOE meeting, Moyer explained that district leadership presented the reorganization plan to NASA (Northport Association of School Administrators) leadership, and the process of developing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) began at the end of September. The plan was then presented to the BOE during its executive session on October 10. The week after that, Moyer met individually with the affected administrators, after which the plan was presented to the entire administrative council. In November, a transition strategy team was formed (and has met three times to plan for the implementation of the administrative changes). In early December, the plan was communicated to the United Teachers Union (UTN) president and district leaders met with the UTN Executive Board. 

“I am confident that we have dedicated and talented administrators in place to ensure a successful transition to a new model of supporting our outstanding programming and staff in this district,” Moyer said in the district statement. “While changes to staffing are always difficult, I appreciate the Board’s sensitivity to the matter and Dr. [Timothy] Hoss’s leadership as the Northport Association of School Administrators president. The professionalism of all involved helped us move through several challenges these past several months and now we all look forward to a successful future.”

Part of the reorganization plan also includes the creation of five high school teacher leaders for English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Career and Technology Education (grades 5-12). A Coordinator made by combining the existing .5 Instructional Coordinator and .5 STEM Coordinator will be created at the middle school level, which will be a budget-neutral change. Each teacher leader will receive a $10,000 stipend, according to Moyer’s presentation to the board. 

Moyer presented estimated savings to the district budget due to these administrative changes: Phase I will allow for a net budget reduction of $275,000 and Phase II will allow for a net budget reduction of $350,000, if the current proposal is rolled out without any changes, he said. 

As their next steps in this process, district leaders plan to monitor the reorganization implementation, ensure the successful implementation of the new literacy curriculum and evaluate special education support needs. “We want to make sure we don’t miss anything for any of our learning populations,” Moyer said. 

Some board members participated in a short discussion about the reorganization after Moyer’s presentation to the BOE and prior to the vote.

Trustee David Badanes said the district has been “admin-heavy” and the plan is “a long time coming.” He did voice concern about the new directors favoring the subject areas in which they have expertise and experience, and asked if the directors will be able to fulfil their roles for all subject areas within their new positions and guide “everybody under their umbrella.”

Moyer responded that the district is contemplating other ways to provide support for the new directors, including the creation of teacher leaders. He said that this new structure will allow for more interdisciplinary opportunities and learning, and move away from a siloed approach to leadership organization. “It’s a different job that they are going to do. They can’t do the same job they were doing in this new structure. So they have to reimagine how to provide support in a district director office position, as opposed to a department area content position. It’s different – it looks different and the responsibilities are different,” Moyer said.

Trustee Larry Licopoli said that the new roles will be a shift for the new directors and the transition strategy team will be the district’s eyes on the ground, providing feedback as to how the implementation is going. “That’s really the best way to fully implement any kind of initiative,” Licopoli said. “It helps reinforce the potential for success because something like this isn’t just a roll of the dice, it’s strategic.”Ongoing evaluation is crucial, he said, and if the district has to change course, it can change course.

Licopoli shared how he appreciates the district’s approach to the reorganization because no one was losing a job; the restructuring was possible because of retirements, he said. He praised Moyer’s effort in avoiding layoffs and engaging with all affected staff members in handling this process. 

Trustee Allison Noonan agreed that the plan was a long time coming, noting her appreciation for the two-phase approach to the reorganization. “I really appreciate the respect for the integrity of our programs and the respect that you have for our staff,” Noonan said. 

Moyer’s presentation on the administrative reorganization proposal can be found here. The recording of the December 12 meeting can be found here. A description of the new positions created as part of the reorganization plan can be found here.