NAHANT — The School Committee officially reorganized its roles during its meeting on Tuesday night.
The meeting was also the first for new members Mariana Hire and Gregory Paonessa, who were both elected to the committee during the town’s election on April 27.
Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi presided over the chair nominations, and Committee member Beth Anderson quickly made a motion to nominate incumbent Chair Patricia Karras to serve another term. After Committee member Liana DeLoid seconded the motion, the committee voted unanimously to re-appoint Karras.
Karras soon returned the favor to Anderson by nominating her for the role of vice chair, which was most recently held by former Committee member Michelle Dam. Anderson and DeLoid went on to nominate Hire for the position of recording secretary.
“I will happily do it as long as someone tells me what it requires,” Hire said.
The votes to elect Anderson as vice chair and Hire as recording secretary were both unanimous as well.
Hire and Paonessa were both elected through write-in campaigns, receiving 144 and 75 votes, respectively. They have filled the seats left by Dam and Regina Laine, who each served two terms.
Pierantozzi later told the committee that the district will have to partner with a new organization to run its afterschool programs due to the sudden closure of Island Roots Camp Group.
“We are now seeking a replacement organization. We are connecting with organizations that run daycare programs within a 20-mile radius of us,” Pierantozzi explained. “So far, we have had no takers.”
Pierantozzi added that he is also exploring the option of having the district take over the programs itself, which it did at one point in the past. However, he said the district will not have a summer program in the future regardless due to a lack of enrollment.
“We anticipate about 30 students for September,” Pierantozzi said. “Parents need the program and we will work very very hard to get it in place.”
