When budget season rolls around this year, Manhasset will have a new assistant superintendent of Business and Operations at the helm.
Gerard Antonie, who the district hired over the summer, brings 20 years of experience as an assistant superintendent for business between the Hempstead and Valley Stream School Districts and another handful of years as a financial analyst to Manhasset’s schools.
“I am committed to fostering transparency, efficiency and fiscal responsibility,” Antonie said. “My goal is to build strong partnerships with district leadership, staff and the community to ensure that our financial and operational practices effectively support student learning and well-being.”
Antonie, originally from Roosevelt and currently living in Baldwin, said he worked in Hempstead and Valley Stream each for exactly 9 1/2 years, where he spearheaded efforts to establish human resources departments and digital efficiency.
“There’s something with me with 9 1/2, because I worked in Hempstead for 9 1/2 years, and I went to Valley Stream for 9 1/2 years,” Antonie said. “I’m hoping to do another 9 1/2 years in Manhasset.”
Being a school administrator wasn’t always in Antonie’s plans, however. He said he started his career as a banker and financial analyst, working at companies like EAB Bank and IBM, until he was unexpectedly laid off in 2002.
“After I got laid off, my cousin, who’s a teacher, told me that I can do what I did for IBM for a school. I had no idea that that existed,” Antonie said. “I looked into it and went back to school.”
Antonie jumped into the profession, earning a certificate for school administration from C.W. Post’s School of Business Administration and interning with the Roosevelt School District in the early 2000’s. He also holds a master’s in business administration from Hofstra University.
While working most recently as the Assistant Superintendent for Business and Human Resources at Valley Stream, he created the district’s first human resources department, implemented digitization in the district, oversaw the transportation department and supported the district’s expansion into offering universal pre-kindergarten programming.
“I created a human resource department from scratch. I went to conferences. I attended meetings. I learned about HR organizations to build our HR department,” Antonie said. “I implemented a lot of online onboarding [for staff]…to move away from paper. I did anything I could do to move away from paper and put processes and procedures in place to make a very efficient HR department.”
As the assistant superintendent for Business at Hempstead, Antonie said he was responsible for the district’s budget and supervised a slew of departments for the district.
“I was responsible for the overall budget of the organization,” he said. “I oversaw the food service department. I had direct responsibility over facilities…and the IT director reported to me.”
While Antonie said it’s “too early to tell,” any specific changes he’d potentially make in the district, he said he plans on bringing the same type of work ethic and carrying out similar duties in Manhasset as he has in Hempstead and Valley Stream.
“I will be trying to automate everything I can, put similar processes and procedures in place, and just trying to continue the great work that’s been going on in Manhasset,” Antonie said. “I want to make sure that I continue to run this district with transparency and make sure we maintain a good, fiscally responsible budget.”
“I am looking to build a business office and make sure that everybody here works together as a team, so that we can complete our duties and enjoy life,” Antonie concluded.
The first day of classes in Manhasset is set for Sept. 2.
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