The Herricks School Board, at its recent re-organizational meeting, elected Christine Turner as board president and Richard Buckley as vice president. Both were immediately sworn into office and took their seats at the board table.

Outgoing board president Peter Grisafi, who has held the position for the last four years, thanked his colleagues, the administrators, the public and the press for the cooperation he has received over the years. He added, "I think it is time to get a new perspective on the position, to give myself a break from the position, and to make way for the future. With that being said I would like to nominate Chris Turner for president."

A poll was taken and she was unanimously elected to the position of president. She was sworn in by assistant district clerk Judy Miehling. She then took over the president's chair, and the gavel. Trustee David Goodsell put in nomination the name of Richard Buckley as vice-president. He, too, was sworn into office by Miehling and took his place beside board president Turner.

Turner then said, "I just want to say that the board of education would like to thank Peter for serving for the last four years. It is an additional responsibility and obligation and he has really gone out of his way to represent the district in many functions. Further, he is always available and I know it's tough when you are working full time. You came on the board at a time when things were a little tough and you laid great groundwork and turned things around. You have a good relationship with the community, with the teachers, with the administration and most of all with parents. So, we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for turning around a situation, and we appreciate the time and effort you have put into the district."

Commenting on the fact there was no public attendance at the meeting, except for her husband, Turner said, "You know maybe it's a good thing that attendance is not large. It shows the community has confidence. You know that a school district is not just one person, but it's the entire board working as a team. It's the PTA, the teacher's union and Susan Arlock was its wonderful leader and she worked well with the board. Our administrative team is great at Herricks, it's everybody pulling together. We do have a good team and we have come a long way and accomplished many things and we will move forward and I am glad that it is in a positive climate and I look forward to working with Rich Buckley."

The board then voted on many routine re-appointments including setting the salaries of the district clerk and district treasurer. Next was the re-appointment of the school attorney, internal and external auditors and the school physician Dr. Bagdid Baghdassarian, who was praised by Superintendent Dr. Jack Bierwirth for his constant accessibility and for his strong dedication to the school and the students.

The board continued its reappointments including designating The Illustrated News as its official newspaper along with The Williston Times, Herald Courier and Newsday.

The following were the dates of the school board meetings. All will be held at the Community Center, unless noted, and will begin at 7:15 p.m.

July 19, Aug. 9, Aug. 23, Aug. 30 (Building Tour to start at 9 a.m. at Center Street), Sept. 6, Sept. 20, Oct. 4, Oct. 18 Searingtown, Nov. 1, Nov. 15 Denton Avenue, Dec. 6 Middle School, Dec. 20, Jan. 10, Jan. 24 High School, Feb. 7 Budget Presentation, Feb. 28 Regular and Budget, March 6 Regular and Budget, March 13 Budget, March 27, April 3, April 16 Regular and BOCES, May 8 Budget Hearing and Regular, May 20 Budget Vote, May 22 Regular, June 5 Regular and June 19.

The board voted on the Board of Registry who will meet at the Herricks Center on May 6 between 4 and 8 p.m.

Peter Grisafi was designated as the BOCES representative.

The board then passed a resolution to adopt many of the codes that have been reviewed including Student Discipline, Board of Education Code of Ethics and Disclosure Statement, Purchasing and Investment Policies, Non-Discrimination (Equal Opportunity) Policy, Charter for Audit Committee.

The Re-affirmation of the Formula for Reserve Funds will be studied and brought back for a vote in August.

The board then closed the re-organizational meeting and opened the regular meeting with just a few items including the adoption of the calendar and policies reviewed.

A late transportation request was reviewed and denied. A bid for a Fuel Access Card was approved and awarded to the lowest bidder that was Fleetcor Technologies of Norcross, GA, for LS Diesel and regular gasoline for district vehicles.

The meeting closed and the next regular meeting will be held on July 19 at 7:15 p.m. at the Herricks Community Center, on the second floor of 999 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park.