Grisnik Runs Unchallenged In Tuckahoe

Tuckahoe School District voters will hit the polls to vote on the district’s proposed budget and single School Board candidate, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, in the Tuckahoe School gymnasium.

Tuckahoe School Board Chairman Robert Grisnik of Shinnecock Hills, who requested that his age not be published, is running unopposed for another three-year term.

Mr. Grisnik, the owner and a pharmacist at Southrifty Drug in Southampton Village, first joined the board in 1982 when he was elected for one year to fill an unexpired term. He lost reelection but was elected again to the board in 1985 and has served on it since.

He is also the chairman of the Southampton Fire District Board of Commissioners and the commander of the Southampton Post 7009 Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as a member of the Southampton Elks Club and Knights of Columbus.

Mr. Grisnik, a former U.S. Air Force pilot and Vietnam Veteran who flew 213 combat missions, holds a degree in pharmacy from the Duquesne University School of Pharmacy.

His family includes his wife, Carolyn, and two adult children, Carla and Jason, both graduates of Tuckahoe School.

“I still feel there is work to be done and I still feel I can contribute to the school district,” Mr. Grisnik said. Specifically, he pointed to the need for stability amid changes in the school’s administration.

Superintendent-Principal Joseph “Chris” Dyer and clerk Linda Springer are new this year, he noted, and the district is currently searching for a new principal. The board had previously voted—although Mr. Grisnik was opposed—to split the superintendent-principal job into two positions and eliminate the assistant principal position, but held out for this year, so its new superintendent could provide input. Mr. Dyer recommended the board go through with the position split because of the number of state-required administrative duties, Mr. Grisnik said.

“I just feel we need to have some history for the school district to work with these new administrators,” Mr. Grisnik said.

The district has received 162 applications and plans to have a principal in place by September, he said.

Mr. Grisnik said he would also like to tackle the issue of Tuckahoe’s burgeoning English as a Second Language population, by, for example, hiring more ESL teachers to help those students excel.