Christopher Pellettieri will continue to serve as the Manhasset Public School District’s interim superintendent of schools through the 2026-27 school year, the Board of Education announced at its Thursday, Oct. 23 meeting. This is an extension of his initial year-long appointment, which began Aug. 1, taking over the helm from the district’s former superintendent, Gaurav Passi. Passi announced in June he would be leaving the Manhasset Public Schools to become the superintendent at the Port Washington School District.
Ted Post, president of the Board of Education, shared the news of Pellettieri’s extension, crediting him for his commitment to students.
“His steady leadership and deep commitment to our students, staff and families continue to strengthen our schools and community,” he said. “This extension ensures continuity as we build on the important work underway to support academic excellence and the well-being of every Manhasset student.”
Pellettieri thanked the board for the extension and looked ahead to new programs and partnerships.
“In all that we do, my mantra remains ‘every child, every day,’” he said. “With this in mind, we can continue to build on the many programs and partnerships that make our district so successful.”
The meeting also reviewed audited financial statements and reserves for the 2024-25 school year.
According to the auditors present at the meeting, the district remains in a strong financial position, with good accounting records and a strategy for managing reserve funds. Until 2027, the district will be using short-term financing to allow interest rates and approvals to stabilize. Long-term financing will begin in 2027, with the money budgeted for bond payments remaining in the debt service fund and earning interest until then.
Pellettieri said the district is “in a really good position in terms of our finances.”
The meeting also honored board members for School Board Recognition Week. Pellettieri gave board members thyme plants on behalf of the district, joking about how he was giving them some “time” for their hours spent serving Manhasset.
He expressed appreciation for the board’s “timeless efforts, their diligence, their hard work, their time away from their family so they could spend time taking care of the Manhasset family.”
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena also thanked the board members for their role in the community.
“You’re not doing this for reputation or for property values – you’re doing it for our children,” she said. “Thank you for holding our standards high, for keeping Manhasset the amazing place it is to live, and for working so closely with our community to make sure it stays that way.”
