09/07/2025
AMITYVILLE SCHOOL BOARD: Status Quo Sealed: How 4 Votes Locked Down Another Year of Dysfunction
7/8/25 Meeting Recap
🗳 Officer Elections: Community Voice Ignored
✔️President : Lisa Johnson was reelected for her 4th year as president. Nehring, Kretz, Johnson and Seehof supported a president who is fully devoted to shielding the superintendent from any criticism or accountability. She is more her PR rep than a board president. Johnson has been the single largest impediment to the progress of the district moving forward. These 4 trustees sealed the status quo for the district for another year.
✔️1st Vice President: Juan Leon was elected with votes from Johnson, Nehring, Kretz, and Seehof. Did Leon have prior knowledge of how this vote would go down? On a positive note, Leon was more verbal at this meeting than he had been in all 9 years previously served on the board. He has excellent talking points and kept his focus on advocating for the taxpayers.
✔️2nd VP Chris Nehring - Nehring was elected with votes from Leon, Nehring. Johnson, Kretz, Seehof and Nehring. The community witnessed the detriment of voting in a weak candidate. Nehring's questions and comments underscored his lack of understanding of his trustee role as he shielded the superintendent from accountability and every vote he cast was to maintain the status quo of the district. This would be a head scratcher to most as he is a parent in the district, but we understand he is owned by the teacher's union and follows their script on how to vote. Nehring was the 4th vote to lock in overturning key decisions made at prior meetings.
⛔Megan Messmann, who received the highest vote count of any board candidate in recent years, was nominated for all three officer positions by Trustee Fanning. Each time, Johnson, Nehring, Kretz, and Seehof voted her down, blatantly disregarding the will of the voters who put her there.
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💰 Your Money at Risk: FDIC-Free Bank Approved
In a shocking moment, a resident pointed out that a bank the board approved just moments prior as being an official bank depository was not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency, yet the superintendent placed this on the agenda for approval. The business official was completely unaware of this institution’s status. The Assist Super quickly placed blame on the treasurer for this yet the treasurer has been employed for years and this was never recommended by him before. The board took no action to reverse this once they were alerted. Our taxpayer dollars will be flowing through this fugazi institution. .....
🚫 DASA Coordinator Appointment: A Known Bully in Charge?
Despite costing taxpayers $40,000 over frivolous political complaints and facing her own bullying allegations, Debra Lee was appointed DASA Coordinator for Northwest School. She will now oversee bullying investigations, including those potentially filed against herself. Was this appointment in the best interest of students and families? ........
📱 From 3 to 16: Cell Phone Boondoggle
This was another shocker. Last year, 3 people had district issued phones including the superintendent and board president neither which ever answered phone calls or texts by certain board members. This year, the superintendent listed 16 people to have district issued phones and the board unanimous approved it. Everyone has cell phones these days. This was an unnecessary expense the superintendent imposed on taxpayers and the board agreed to it. .......
🔁 Oversight Rolled Back – VOTES OVERTURNED BY Nehring, Seehof, Kretz and Johnson
Superintendent Oversight Undermined – 4 trustees have lack of understanding of their fiduciary responsibilities.
🔹 Board Reverses Oversight Vote: The board overturned a prior resolution requiring the superintendent to report her time off to the full board, reverting control back to just the board president.
🔹 No Tracking System: There is currently no electronic system in place to track the superintendent’s time off. She monitors and is in charge of her own time off. The board has no visibility into how many days have been taken or categorized (vacation, personnel, etc.).
🔹 Cash Payouts Without Transparency: Under her contract, the superintendent can cash out unused days at year’s end. Without proper tracking, there is no accountability if the amount of payout days accuracy.
🔹 Trustees Abandon Oversight: Trustees Nehring and Kretz dismissed this effort at accountability. Nehring called it "overreach" when in fact, oversight is a core board duty. Kretz opposed board involvement, citing it would “take away time” from the superintendent essentially excusing her from answering to her employer.
🔹 Unethical Advocacy by Superintendent: In a highly inappropriate, self-interest move, the superintendent spoke out to lobby and influence trustee votes against this basic oversight measure. She is an employee not the employer and should not be campaigning against accountability.
🔹 Distorted Power Dynamic: The superintendent is an employee of the district. Her public opposition to being held accountable by her employer signals a dangerous imbalance and a troubling governance culture.
Vote to Keep Interim Finance Head with Troubling History
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🟣Board Votes to Overturn Termination of Interim Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business:
Trustees Nehring, Johnson, Seehof, and Kretz overturned the termination vote of the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Finance, despite serious concerns about his past performance in prior districts.
🔹 History of Mismanagement: He previously drove another district into financial crisis, overspending by millions and forcing mass staff layoffs. Sound familiar?
🔹 Incompetence on Display: At the 7/8 meeting, he struggled to answer basic financial questions although unlike previous meetings, he at least stayed awake.
🔹 Flawed Hiring Process: Rather than a proper hiring selection committee vetting, the interim was handpicked by the superintendent and two assistant superintendents. He worked with Talbert in the Wyandanch SD and she affectionately calls him "Snyder"
🔹 Better Option Available: The district already has an open posting for a permanent Assistant Superintendent for Finance, set to close in days.
🔹 Need for Stability and Accountability: A permanent hire would bring long-term stability and someone with a vested interest in the district’s future, not just a placeholder with a concerning track record.......
⛔Special Education Exclusion: A Disgraceful Choice
A special education parent reported that students requiring a 1:1 aide were excluded from the summer enrichment program. Though not legally required, districts can choose inclusion. The superintendent chose exclusion despite the constant inclusive rhetoric she preaches. This was a moral failure.......
🔇 Blocking Oversight in Real Time
During the meeting, Johnson fought furiously to block a motion by trustees seeking to direct the superintendent, a legal right of the board. She interrupted or tried to shut down the effort over a dozen times, underscoring her pattern of obstructing accountability..........
⚠️ The Big Picture: Power Over Progress
The same trustees, Nehring, Johnson, Kretz and Seehof who block reform and oversight continue insulating the superintendent, even at the cost of transparency, taxpayer dollars, and student equity.
Johnson and Nehring being elected officers are the clearest signs yet that this board is moving backward. Their voting record shows a pattern of shielding an incompetent superintendent, ignoring community input, and dismantling hard-fought reforms...........
🟣What If They Fought for Students Instead?
Imagine if these four board members put the same time and energy into improving student achievement as they do protect and running interference for the superintendent. Maybe then, we’ll finally see real progress in our schools.
🗳Obstruction Has an Expiration Date and It is Election Day 2026
Get ready, it’s going to be a long year. Three of the four trustees blocking real progress are up for re-election in May. If you care about accountability and putting students first, consider running for the Board of Education. Your voice matters.
