Mineola Superintendent Michael Nagler has resigned, Board of Education President Cheryl Lampasona announced at the Feb. 5 meeting.
The resignation comes after a suspension with pay that was levied when an external district investigation found him in violation of his employment contract and code of ethics.
“Even though he’s retiring tonight, he is going to be paid through July 20, 2026,” Richard Zuckerman, an attorney for the district, said. “The total amount of money is $511,752.11.”
He said that a little over $180,000 of that will be paid for his remaining salary, with the rest paid through a tax-sheltered annuity in the coming years.
Nagler’s conduct during the proposal, development and implementation of the district’s Build Your Own Grade Program led to a board-sanctioned investigation from Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna LLP. The investigation said Nagler misled the board about details of his financial and personal interests in the learning management system behind the program.
Acting Superintendent Catherine Fishman has been promoted to the interim superintendent role, trustees confirmed in a subsequent resolution.
“I am excited to be able to support stability,” she said.
Efforts to reach Nagler were unavailing as of the night of Feb. 5.
Parents and students spoke during the public comment section, expressing relief that Nagler resigned and input on the search for his replacement.
“Some community involvement in the selection process would be good too,” parent Bob Citro said.
“We are not going to rush the process,” Lampasona said.
The board unanimously voted to accept the resignation and said they reached an agreement with Nagler.
Parents questioned where the money for his payout would come from in the budget.
“We have not had that discussion yet; this all just happened,” Fishman said.
Zuckerman said that the agreement included a declaration by Nagler that he has destroyed all data or information from students, the district or that exists as a result of district labor.
He said the agreement includes a release of claims, meaning neither party can sue the other in the future regarding these matters.
“He got a sweet deal out of this,” one parent said.
“Be it resolved that the district hereby accepts the irrevocable letter of resignation for retirement purposes effective Feb. 5, 2026, from employee number 01665 [Nagler],” Lampasona said. She said she could not provide further comment in accordance with the agreement.
Nagler was not present at the meeting, which was livestreamed.
Build Your Own Grade was a highly contested curriculum that used tablets to educate eighth-grade students through videos and digital activities. Students reported high stress from the program, and parents raised concerns over district transparency and data security, calling for Nagler’s resignation and the program’s removal.
Build Your Own Grade was suspended in October 2025.
The investigation consisted of policy reviews and interviews with Nagler and 15 witnesses, according to Nathaniel Nichols, an attorney with the law firm.
It found that Nagler failed to keep the board informed of all matters concerning the district’s administration.
Nagler created the company Quave LLC with his son, James, which was the learning management system behind Build Your Own Grade.
The investigation determined that, at times, Nagler misled the board about the program’s and Quave’s timelines. It stated that Nagler created the company to retain the intellectual property for himself and his son, and to secure tax write-offs for business expenses.
It also examined his interpersonal conduct.
“[Witness] described Dr. Nagler as being difficult to work with as he is a demanding individual and somewhat ‘authoritarian,’” the investigation said, adding that Nagler said he could retire whenever he wanted.
“Individuals within the District view this as an implicit threat that Dr. Nagler may do anything he wishes to do,” it continued.
