The Miller Place school board voted in a new regime at its reorganizational meeting Thursday, electing John Magnani to serve as president and Ann O’Brien to take the role of vice president.

Mr. Magnani ran for president against board member Michael Unger and was voted in by a 3-2 vote, with Mr. Unger and new trustee Brian Neyland opposing. He’s just started his fourth three-year term — after five years off after a losing a reelection — on the board and beginning his tenth year. He had previously served as a president and a vice president.

He takes the reigns from Angela Guido, who served as president only since May 13 to step in for former president John Moran, who vacated his seat in the middle of his term. Ms. Guido did not seek reelection when her contract expired at the end of last school year.

Mr. Magnani said as president, he can bring experience, historical perspective and approachability for all constituents to the school board.

He said he would work to maintain programs for students this school year, something he called “a particularly difficult task given recent federal and state decisions,” as well as explore “creative, out-of-the-box solutions” to achieve educational goals in an “fiscally responsible” way.

Ms. O’Brien, who was sworn in to her fifth term on the board Thursday, ran for vice president unopposed. She was elected to the post by a 3-2 vote, again with Mr. Unger and Mr. Neyland opposing.

Ms. O’Brien comes to the role with 12 years of service on the board under her belt, three years of which she served as president.

Residents press board member on teacher contract vote

During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Scott Mandia asked Ms. O’Brien for clarification on comments she purportedly made at Meet the Candidates Night in May.

The comments were in regard to an agreement the board passed with the Teacher’s Association, which includes a provision stating teachers’ contracts, which were set to expire at the end of the end of the 2010-11 school year, are extended one year and teachers will receive a pay raise of either 1.5 percent or the value of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — whichever is higher.

Mr. Unger cast the lone “no” vote against the measure, saying his fellow board members didn’t do due diligence in researching the CPI. He has said at subsequent meetings that the CPI has consistently been higher than 1.5, and is only expected to increase.

He also has said the district’s attorneys advised the board before the vote that the CPI is likely to increase over the next few years.

Mr. Mandia said Ms. O’Brien stated at Meet the Candidates Night that she interpreted the attorney’s advice differently than Mr. Unger.

When Mr. Mandia asked Ms. O’Brien Thursday to elaborate on her comments, she refused.

She said she’s been asked repeatedly to clarify, and that her comments on the issue had already been clearly stated.

“I call it harassment,” she said, referring to being questioned on her comments.

Mr. Mandia and Sound Beach resident Wlodek Guryn asked the board to make the attorney’s comments regarding the CPI provision public.

Update on the administration building

Deputy superintendent Marianne Higuera gave an overview of the planned administration building, which came under fire at budget workshops earlier this year.

Some residents asked for the project to be halted so that money could be applied to programs and services being cut from students in the 2011-12 budget.

“I want to make sure that the taxpayers’ money is going to the students and the student programs and resources in the building and not to central office — not to a brand new, unaidable administration building,” Miller Place resident Lori Murphy had said to a reporter after a March budget workshop meeting.

Dr. Higuera said Thursday that space for administration offices are currently being leased, and that owning a new administration building would save the district money in the long run.

“This is a long-term solution as opposed to leasing space,” Dr. Higuera said.

The project was made possible by a voter-approved bond issue in March 2010, she noted.

Plans for the building have been approved by the state, and the district will accept bids beginnings July 20.

Dr. Higuera noted that continuing to lease space may cause the district to exceed the 2 percent property tax cap that was recently passed in the state Senate and Assembly.

“The sooner we can begin building and the sooner we get out of that leased space, we can begin saving money,” Dr. Higuera said.

Superintendent Susan Hodun added that there is currently no suitable administration office space in the district’s existing buildings. Board member Doug Ports added that the board considered consolidating with another district to prevent the need for the administration building, but that turned out not to be a viable option.

Formation of new committees

In one of its first acts as a new board, members decided to establish a Consolidation Exploratory Committee as well as a Budget Advisory Committee.

The Consolidation Exploratory Committee, which Mr. Ports brought to the table, will look at how to save money by consolidating services with surrounding districts. Mr. Ports and Mr. Magnani agreed to be on the committee.

A Budget Advisory Committee, which the district has previously had, will be used to improve communication with the community on the budget process.

“Loud and clear, we heard from people that the process is flawed and we need to fix that,” Mr. Unger said.

Mr. Unger and Mr. Neyland agreed to serve on that committee.

Ms. Murphy suggested during the public comment portion of Thursday’s meeting that all committees be open to the entire community.

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