On May 18, Stanley Stern and Judith Wilner were the two candidates out of a field of five to be elected to a three-year term to the Roslyn School Board.

Even though two BOE members have resigned, one was defeated for re-election and another choose not to run for another term, anger with the BOE has remained high with local residents.

And so, at the July 6 meeting, both Stern and Ms. Wilner saw themselves not only sworn in as new BOE members, but at the same time, elected unanimously by fellow board members as, respectively, the president and vice president of the beleaguered body.

Whether the change in leadership of the BOE helped the revised budget to win a solid victory at the July 13 vote is debatable. Either way, with a 2004-2005 budget approved, the board can at least get that issue behind them and move onto other pressing matters.

The new president of the school board is no stranger to the world of public education. During his many years in the New York City public school system, Stanley Stern served as a teacher, an assistant principal, and a principal, the latter at P.S. 206 in Rego Park. After receiving the most votes in the May 18 election, Stern found himself serving on the board even before the July 13 reorganization meeting. Michael Barkan, the board's vice president had resigned, and Stern was asked to fill his seat immediately.

Stern's working relationship with current board members was good enough, or as he put it, he was not "judgmental of past actions." And so, a board member suggested that he accept the presidency of the board at the July 6 meeting. Even though that presented, in Stern's words, "a daunting task" for such a new member, Stern accepted the post on the basis that the more experienced board members would assist him in his new job. That was agreed on and while they were at it, the board unanimously selected Judith Wilner as the board's vice president.

Both Stern and Ms. Wilner were pleased that the revised budget was approved with such a convincing vote. Ms. Wilner said she thought it might pass, but if it did, it would do so with a smaller margin.

Stern summed up his analysis of the vote this way: "This community said: We've been taken, we've had money stolen, the new professionals have come up with a budget one and half million dollars less than the contingency budget. This is a very good thing. The risk is not great. Let's not punish the children."

Stern also admitted that with a thorough investigation of the embezzlement scandal still ongoing, school officials don't know how much money was actually stolen. It might take awhile for the final numbers to be tallied. And so, figures for the approved budget were "based on guesswork."

"This year we need to watch the expenses very closely," he said. "Next year's budget will be based on real numbers. But this is a very important year."

With the budget approved, the next important order of business will be finding an interim superintendent for the district. Stern said the board is looking for someone with experience. At the same time, the board will "move very quickly" in filling the position. "We are already scheduling interviews," Stern said. Ms. Wilner added that the board will convey certain sentiments to all those being interviewed for the job: Namely, what type of community they will be representing and the pride that local residents have in their school system.

In addition to hiring an interim superintendent, the board will also initiate a search committee to hire a superintendent on a permanent basis.

This process, Stern said, will be a much more lengthy procedure. It will involve not only school district personnel, but also community members and parent associations. The entire hiring process, he added, could take up to a year before a permanent superintendent is found.

Stern also said the board is considering the possibility of employing a forensic audit of the district, one in addition to the audit that State Comptroller Alan Hevesi is also conducting. The board, Stern added, might also proceed with civil cases in the embezzlement scandal, based on "information we get."

Both Stern and Ms. Wilner have been encouraged by all the support they have received so far from the Roslyn public. Both also realize that what ire the community has concerning the embezzlement scandal will be directed their way, but for now, much of the public response has been positive.

"The nicest thing [so far] has been calls from people offering support," Stern said. Ms. Wilner added that many of her calls from residents have simply been to discuss issues facing the district. "[I am not] receiving anger, but concerns," she said.