JENNIFER GUSTAVSON FILE PHOTO | Southold School District Superintendent David Gamberg during a recent public meeting on Common Core.
The Greenport and Southold school districts have announced plans to share a superintendent.
The school boards have reached an agreement that will see current Southold Superintendent David Gamberg serve both North Fork districts under a two-year contract, beginning July 2014, according to a press release issued Friday by outgoing Greenport Superintendent Michael Comanda.
Under the deal, the districts would share Mr. Gamberg’s salary equally, and he will “have dual reporting lines to both boards,” the release reads.
Other details, including salary, are still being discussed by the boards.
Mr. Gamberg told The Suffolk Times in an interview Friday that he’s excited about his new role and plans to become more acquainted with Greenport schools in the coming months.
“In the tax levy cap environment, this could be something that saves both districts money and, additionally, provide more opportunities for shared programs,” Mr. Gamberg said. “I feel honored by the prospect of taking this on … I’ll do my level best for both school communities.”
The school officials acknowledged they are entering uncharted territory in a region long accustomed to having one superintendent heading individual school districts, and recognize “sharing a superintendent is not without its challenges,” the release reads.
“I feel good that this is a way to carry forward my efforts which support the taxpayers and families of Greenport,” Mr. Comanda said in a statement.
The public is encouraged to attend upcoming board meetings on Nov. 20 in Southold and Nov. 21 in Greenport to ask questions and ofter comment on the plan.
“Our entire board is delighted to welcome David to Greenport Schools,” said Greenport school board president Heather Wolf. “We are committed to supporting him to the fullest as he takes on this new responsibility.”
“This is yet another clear example of how we can expand upon our ongoing commitment toward increased shared services that support our long term strategic plan to contain costs,” said Southold school board president Paulette Ofrias.
State Senator Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), who has been a big proponent of shared service agreements, said in an email he believes the cost-effective move is a win-win for both communities.
Over the years, Mr. LaValle has secured grant funding for Greenport and Southold to assist them with their shared-service efforts. Most recently, he secured a total of $150,000 for both schools in September to further their various shared-service plans, most notably a last-minute track construction project underway in Greenport.
“I am proud of the Greenport and Southold school districts and boards for taking this bold step to save taxpayer dollars while maintaining and expanding student programs,” he said. “It is my sincere hope that other school districts will look to Greenport and Southold’s shared-service model and adopt policies to provide a quality education at a cost taxpayers can afford.”
Read more about this story in the Nov. 21 edition of The Suffolk Times.