Sworn in: Three trustees plus first ever student rep take their seats at latest BOE meeting

The Northport-East Northport school district’s Thursday, July 10 board of education (BOE) meeting began with an annual organization that included the swearing in of three newly elected trustees: Ray Burney, Jim Maloney and Chrissy Ruggeri. The board members won their seats on the BOE in May. 

Incoming Northport High School sophomore Jaiden Mir was also sworn in as an ex-officio board member. Selected by the high school’s student body, Mir will serve as the district’s first ever board of education student representative.

Carol Taylor will continue in her position as board president, while Trustee Mike Cleary was appointed as vice president. 

Maloney returns to the board after serving one term from 2012 to 2015. Ruggeri and Burney join the board as newcomers. The three board members replaced outgoing trustees Larry Licopoli, Tom Loughran and Allison Noonan, and took to the dais immediately following their oaths of office to proceed with the reorganization and business agendas. 

After earning a social studies education degree from Cortland State and a law degree from St. John’s University, Burney worked for 30 years at Metro-North Railroad, including seven years as senior vice president for administration. He later served as chief human resources officer for the City of Norwalk and is now retired. He and his wife have lived in Northport for 30 years; their three grown children all graduated from the Northport-East Northport school district. 

Maloney recently served as vice president of Northport High School’s PTSA. He has also been president and vice president of Northport Middle School PTSA, and was a member of the Future Study Advisory Committee. He and his wife live in Northport and have four children together; their youngest two will be in Northport High School together next year – as a senior and a freshman. A district sales coordinator with Aflac, Maloney is also a financial planner – his primary client base are all staff within the state’s public schools, from kindergarten to 12th grade. 

Born and raised in Huntington, Ruggeri has lived in Northport with her husband for 10 years. Their children are students at Norwood Avenue Elementary School. A former high school English and writing teacher, she is presently a digital content writer and SEO strategist for Stony Brook Medicine, where she leads the team’s editorial board. She is also a co-owner and writer for the Northport Journal; since being elected, she has stepped down from covering any school district-related issues while on the board. 

The full board is now made up of Taylor, Cleary, Burney, Maloney and Ruggeri, as well as trustees Dave Badanes and Donna McNaughton. Though Mir is not able to vote or attend executive sessions, he may sit at the dais at all public board of education meetings, ask questions and provide input.