Southampton School Board Plans To Appoint Dyno As Superintendent In January

The Southampton Board of Education voted on Tuesday to appoint a new superintendent at their next meeting in January—staying with a familiar face.After discussing the position during the regularly held board meeting, board members decided to add an item to the January 10 meeting agenda to appoint Interim Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Dyno as the new superintendent.District Clerk Amy Pierson said the board discussed other options, including hiring a search firm to find another candidate to fill the position, or continuing to run the district with Dr. Dyno as interim superintendent.Few residents were at the meeting during the discussion, according to Ms. Pierson, but the board wanted to be as transparent as possible by talking about the position in the regular meeting instead of behind closed doors in executive session.At the meeting, Dr. Brian Zahn, the principal of Southampton High School, and Southampton Teachers Association President Sean Brand both spoke in support of appointing Dr. Dyno as the superintendent.The position has been vacant since April, when former Superintendent Dr. Scott Farina resigned from his position and received a $300,000 payout. His resignation was announced at a School Board meeting, and, at that same meeting, Dr. Dyno, the district’s assistant superintendent for instruction, was appointed as the interim superintendent.Since Dr. Farina’s resignation, the district has refused to disclose the specific reasons for the resignation, which came about two months after the district’s Board of Education hired outside counsel to investigate unspecified allegations made against the superintendent.Dr. Dyno was not available for comment on Wednesday morning.Anyone wishing to contact the board members with questions or concerns have been asked to call (631) 591-4510 or send an email to BOE@southamptonschools.org.