The North Shore Board of Education announced the appointment of Jessica Dillon to the board during its Jan. 9 meeting. and held a swearing in for her.
Dillon, a Glen Head resident, joins the board with 17 years of experience in higher education administration. She will hold the seat from Jan. 9 to May 20.
“I look forward to being a part of the board, being a member and serving the community,” Dillon said as she assumed the seat for the first time.
A member of the North Shore community since 2013, Dillion holds a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership from St. John’s University, a Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology from Long Island University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from SUNY Old Westbury.
She has been an active member of the Board of Education’s Legislative Action Committee since 2023 and served as president of the Parent Advisory Committee at her employer-sponsored child care center from 2019 to 2023, having been a member since 2016.
Through these roles, Dillon says that she has worked to enhance educational access and support for children and families in the community.
Dillon lives with her husband and two children, who attend Glenwood Landing School. She says she is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students in the district.
Dillon is filling the seat of former Trustee Richard Galati, whose resignation was announced by Dr. Andrea Macari during their meeting on Nov. 21, 2024. Galati called Macari, the BOE president, the night before the meeting to announce his resignation. He was not present at the meeting when his resignation was announced
In a letter to the board and the community, Galati explained that for personal reasons, he believed that his time as trustee needed to end.
Galati served as a science teacher at North Shore High School from 1985-2016, winning the North Shore High School Teacher of the Year in 2011. His wife, Darlene Galati served as a trustee from 2001-2004. All four of Galati’s children attended North Shore High School.
In addition, Galati served as coordinator of student extracurricular activities for 27 years.
Galati was first elected to the board in 2017, he went on to secure re-election in 2020. In 2023, Galati won re-election for another three-year term on the board, earning 2,078 votes according to the North Shore district website.
The North Shore Board of Education accepted Galati’s resignation during its Dec. 12 meeting and provided the district with three options going forward to replace him.
The three options, according to Macari, were not to fill the seat, hold a special election for his replacement or have the board appoint someone to fill the seat.
After the meeting the board held an executive session Dec. 16 to discuss potential candidates for the position.
In other news, the North Shore Board of Education finalized its decision to opt out of the regionalization planning process.
The Regionalization Initiative is intended to close regional gaps between districts through collaboration in teacher recruitment, advanced course offerings, and funding and aid, according to its website.
The language of the plan was then changed on Dec. 10 2024, by the state’s Board of Regents to state that regionalization would be voluntary and that districts would have the option of not participating in the planning process.
Many other Long Island school districts have already opted out of the initiative.
Districts that opt out of the planning process by Jan. 15 will not be required to participate in any regionalization implementation.
In addition, the board also held a discussion about universal pre-K in the district. The next meeting of the board is Jan. 23.
