West Islip School District Appoints New Superintendent

WEST ISLIP, NY — The West Islip School District officially has a new superintendent.

The Board of Education announced that Dr. Paul Romanelli, an educator for 20 years, was officially appointed to the position at a meeting on Tuesday.

Romanelli will begin his role on Aug. 1 as deputy superintendent before taking the helm as superintendent on Aug. 15, the board said.

He will be succeeding longtime superintendent Bernadette Burns and will work closely with her during the two-week period to ensure a smooth transition in leadership, the board said.

Burns announced her retirement in February, and has served as superintendent since 2013.

"I have had a blessed career working with remarkably passionate and brilliant people who are committed to the children of the West Islip School District," Burns said in a statement. "There is not a day that goes by that I do not marvel at the work that goes on in our classrooms, athletic fields, concert venues and more, and the support that our programs receive from the community."

Romanelli joins West Islip from the Long Beach Public Schools, where he has served as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction since 2019 and previously worked as the principal of Long Beach Middle School.

He began his teaching career in the Harborfields Central School District as a teacher of mathematics and literacy at Oldfield Middle School. At this time, he was named Suffolk County Math Teacher of the Year and received the SCOPE Teacher Service Award, the board said.

He also has served as dean of students in Harborfields and assistant principal of Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School.

“I would like to thank the residents and staff for the overwhelming support and positive welcome that my family and I have received,” Romanelli said. “West Islip is an excellent district and I am looking forward to working collaboratively with our learning community to achieve great things.”

Romanelli attended SUNY New Paltz where he received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education and his master’s degree in special education. He obtained his administrative degree from the College of Saint Rose and his doctoral degree in instructional leadership from St. John’s University.

He has received the Rookie of the Year Award from Long Beach AWARE and was honored as Educator of the Year by Long Beach Christmas Angel, a press release said.

Romanelli grew up on Long Island and currently lives in Melville with his wife, Jessica, and their three sons, a press release said.