Another era in the recent history of the Roslyn School District began earlier this month as new school board members were sworn in and both Stanley Stern and Judith Wilner were re-elected to their respective positions as president and vice president of the BOE.

Also at the July 7 meeting, Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy was sworn into her first term as a BOE member, while Clifford Saffron officially began his second three-year term on the board. Along with Saffron and Ms. Ben-Levy, Jeffrey Borowick was elected to the board in the May elections. However, since Borowick was filling a vacancy left by the ousting of Pat Schissel from the board, he was sworn into a three-year term immediately following that election.

In all, the makeup of the new board leaves Maryanne Combs as the only BOE member from the days when the embezzlement scandal first broke.

While the board continues its search for a new superintendent, it recently hired two new assistant principals at both Roslyn High School and the East Hills School.

Carol Murphy is the new assistant principal at Roslyn High School. Ms. Murphy comes to Roslyn from the Great Neck School District, where she most recently was chair of the math department at Great Neck North Middle School. Prior to that, Ms. Murphy taught math at the high school level in Great Neck.

Her appointment as assistant principal represents a homecoming for Ms. Murphy as she began her teaching career in the Roslyn district, at a junior high school, which is now a middle school. Ms. Murphy is a graduate of both SUNY New Paltz and New York University where she received a master's degree in mathematics education. At Roslyn High, Ms. Murphy will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Marguerite Barone.

The new assistant principal at East Hills School is Nicole Lewis. Since 1999, Ms. Lewis has been assistant dean of students at the Berner Middle School in Massapequa. She has also served as an English teacher at the middle school level. Ms. Lewis holds B.A. and M.S. degrees from Hofstra University.

In recent months, the board has appointed Kevin Scanlon as Roslyn High School principal and Dr. Daniel Brenner as assistant superintendent for curriculum.

In other news, the BOE appointed members to a Capital Improvement Committee, one designed to oversee the expenditures of the monies from Proposition #3, the $5.1 capital improvement act, which was approved by the public in the May 17 election. According to Stanley Stern, the committee is made up of people who have experience in the construction business. Among the member is Matthew Korn, a local, well-known architect.

The BOE has also issued its formal response to State Comptroller Alan Hevesi's "Anatomy of a Scandal," a comprehensive report that detailed how the embezzlement scandal happened and what the school district should do to prevent future scandals.

In a letter dated June 1, BOE members updated the comptroller on the district's progress. The comptroller's report listed 27 recommendations for improving both the budget process and in general, business operations in the district. The letter claimed that the BOE had already implemented several of the recommendations. That includes the establishment of independent auditors, internal auditors, treasurers, and the formation of the district's Citizens' Audit Advisory Committee.

"Some of these recommendations [from the comptroller's report] have been implemented, some of the procedures have been completed, and others are currently being addressed and will be implemented," wrote Board President Stanley Stern on behalf of his fellow BOE members.