Anyone with children in the Mineola School District knows that the district is headed for some major changes, starting in the superintendent's position. With Dr. Harry Jaroslaw retiring, the board has apparently found his replacement. The district's CEO position has been offered to Larry LiCopoli, who comes to Mineola from the Chatham Central School District, which is near Albany.

As of last week, the hiring of the new superintendent was not made official since a contract had not been signed. The contract is said to be in the final stages of negotiations. However, the board did approve the hiring of Dr. LiCopoli, who comes to Mineola with prior experience as a superintendent.

"We're very excited about him. He comes to us with a lot of very good experience," said Dr. Deanne Gerstel, assistant superintendent for human resources.

Dr. LiCopoli is originally from Long Island before leaving for upstate New York. He has been in his current position as superintendent of the Chatham Central School District since 1994. The Chatham Central School District is comprised of an elementary, middle school and high school. Dr. LiCopoli was also an associate superintendent in the Elmira City School District for two years.

Board of Education President John McGrath said he believes Dr. LiCopoli will be great for the district.

Before deciding on Dr. LiCopoli, the board narrowed the search down to five candidates, one of whom was Mineola High School Principal Jay Lewis. Mr. McGrath said Mr. Lewis was considered for the position. However, the board felt it would be most beneficial to the district to hire a candidate from outside the district.

Dr. Jaroslaw, who has been the Mineola superintendent for over a decade, will remain in the district through August. The change in superintendent is one of the many changes in store for the district for next year.

The board of education has already hired replacements for high school assistant principal Mike Terc and director of health physical education and athletics Tony Gulli, who are both retiring. The board will also soon have to hire a replacement for high school principal Jay Lewis, who announced his intention to leave the district at the end of the school year. It is a strong possibility that the district will hire an internal candidate for the high school principal's position considering one of the school's assistant principals will be new.

Other than personnel, the district will also be headed for physical changes since pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will eventually be headed for the new Willis Avenue School. The old building is scheduled to be taken down during late summer.