ROCKLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT — The Rockland Central School District Advisory Committee had its initial meeting Wednesday, May 14.

The district was formed following the approval of the merger by voters of the Livingston Manor and Roscoe school districts in December.

The committee, which was formed to help with the merger transition, includes students, faculty, staff, family members and community members with equal representation from Livingston Manor and Roscoe.

Serving on the committee are faculty members Rene Carlson and Fiona Streimer from Livingston Manor and Cindy Hyzer and Katie Ahart from Roscoe; staff members Rosa Finkle and Rob Gould from Manor and Abby DeFreitas and Nicole Rasnick from Roscoe; parent representatives Ashley Hoag-Irwin and Tegan Edwards from Manor and Christina Antizzo and Kendra Harris Constant from Roscoe; community representatives Diana Fredenburg and Dan Smith from Manor and Ed Park and Elwin Wood from Roscoe and student representatives Clara LeRoy from Manor and Brooke Coman from Roscoe. Also on the committee will be members of the district administration: Adam Larson, Julie Buck, Lauren Marrero, Christopher Hubert, Robin Francisco, Rebecca Ackerly and John Evans.

The group, with guidance from education consulting firm Leadership Solutions Advisers, reviewed its purpose and processes with a goal to make the transition to the new district a smooth one. 

The consultants visited Livingston Manor and Roscoe earlier this month, speaking to administration, faculty, staff, students and community members, over three days to gain understanding of perspectives, concerns and hopes regarding the new district. They brought that information to the committee to start their work.

The consultants will work with the committee to form work groups that will focus on specific aspects of the merger transition, such as policies, programming, safety, branding and more. The work groups will meet throughout May and June with a report, including recommendations, prepared for the Rockland Board of Education meeting on June 17. More information about the work groups will be communicated in the coming week. 

Leadership Solutions Advisers is collaborating with district administrators and staff to build plans in many areas to support positive change. They are also working with district leadership to initiate a regular weekly communication update for the merger transition to Rockland Central School District. 

The next advisory committee meeting will be in Roscoe from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, a change in date from initially announced. An optional building tour will take place at 5:15 p.m. Meetings are open to the public.