November 1, 2024

 

Dear GNPS Community,

It is difficult to believe that we have entered November!  I hope those who celebrated had an enjoyable Halloween (so many great costumes were observed throughout GNPS yesterday) and happy Diwali to all those observing.  May the festival of lights bring love and laughter to your homes.

Earlier this week, I provided an update to the community regarding the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) Regionalization Initiative.  My update can be found on the homepage of the district website linked here. 

Since that time, I have received a number of questions seeking additional clarification regarding this NYSED initiative.  I am happy to provide as much additional information as possible.  The Board of Education and district administration share the goal of being as transparent as possible with all matters that may impact our district, region or state. 

Along with members of the Board of Education, I had the opportunity to join colleagues and board members in an informational webinar hosted by the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association (N-SSBA) on Tuesday night.  The webinar has since been recorded and posted to the N-SSBA website.  

The 90-minute presentation/Q&A was hosted by N-SSBA’s Executive Director, Mr. Bob Vecchio, and featured a presentation made by NYSED’s Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy, Dr. Jeffrey Matteson, and Mr. David Frank, Assistant Commissioner.  A link to the webinar is linked here for ease of reference.  As a PowerPoint presentation was used to guide the NYSED presentation, I felt you may prefer to review it in isolation.  It is linked here for your convenience.

Lastly, NYSED has recently published an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document relating to regionalization.  It can be found here.

As indicated in my previous communication, I will provide an update to the Board of Education and community members present at the upcoming November 13, 2024 business meeting (7:45 pm at E.M. Baker).  Should there be any substantive updates prior to the meeting, I will be pleased to advise the community.

Have a wonderful weekend – don’t forget to reset your clocks on Sunday and enjoy the extra hour of sleep (if you happen to be a Yankees fan, I am quite certain you need it). 

Warm regards,
Kenneth R. Bossert, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools