Wheatley High School has a new principal.
Wayne Jensen was unanimously appointed as the principal of Wheatley High School at Monday’s school board meeting. Jensen has been acting as the interim principal since former principal Joseph Wiener’s resignation in July.
Previously, Jensen was the director of social studies and real-world learning.
Starting the meeting off on a high note, two North Side Elementary School students, first-grader Olivia Li, who won the 2024 Piano Star International Competition, and third-grader Elliott Moon, who won the Manhattan International Music Concours and East Coast International Competition, performed piano pieces, garnering applause from the audience. The students’ teachers came to the meeting to watch them perform.
After their performance, the school board provided their regular report, which involved updating the community on capital projects, including new roofing, parking, and electric buses in the district and the ongoing issue of cell phones in classrooms.
Board members said the district will continue determining the best local course of action once legislative decisions regarding the matter are made in Albany.
The board announced school budget meetings will take place on March 5, March 12, March 19, and April 7. Members unanimously voted to approve the other agenda items.
The meeting ended with a fiery public comment from a member of the audience, who took issue with the election procedure of a school district election in May 2024.
She alleged that poll watchers were improperly dismissed from polling places, creating a reduction in transparency and potential guideline violation. After she spoke for three minutes, the board cut her comment off, stating each public commenter could only speak for that amount of time.
Members said she was welcome to email the board with additional comments and bring the documents she referenced in her speech, including a police report, to the district clerk, who would provide them to the district’s attorney for review.
