The Massapequa School District’s Board of Education held its first meeting during the 2025-26 academic year on Wednesday, July 2, swearing in Kerry Wachter as the board’s president for her seventh term as president.
The meeting began with Christopher Brooks being sworn in as a trustee after he was re-elected in May. Brooks ran unopposed for the only open seat on the board.
The next step was to choose a president, for which Kerry Wachter was unanimously elected.
“She’s been an amazing president,” Jeanine Caramore said. “She’s been courageous in many ways in terms of standing up for what our community asks for. You’ve been a leader on our school board with everything that we do.”
Wachter thanked the board for their support, and she called them all a team. Wachter has been the president of the board since 2018.
Wachter spoke highly of Caramore after she was re-elected as the board’s vice president.
“You’re a confidant and somebody who I can reach out to for help or advice,” she said.
Cher Lepre was also re-elected as the board’s secretary.
“You see a lot of places with boards that aren’t aligned like us,” Wachter said. “I am very grateful for the board we have.”
The board has been in the national spotlight for the past few months as the school district has fought the state’s ban on Native American mascots, logos and names.
The board and community have said they want to remain as the Chiefs. President Donald Trump showed his support for the district’s fight and a U.S. Department of Education investigation found that the state Education Department violated the Civil Rights Act.
The U.S. Department of Education has since referred the state DOE to the U.S. Department of Justice after the state failed to comply with its orders.
The deadline for the Massapequa School District to submit a new plan for its mascot was June 30. The board had submitted an extension request but was denied by the state.
