The Connetquot School District and Board of Education paid their former superintendent $70,000 for his early resignation this summer, according to a publicly released document.
The district and board of education signed the settlement agreement with former superintendent Dr. Joseph T. Centamore, who resigned in early August after a contentious district budgeting season where some board members vocally sparred with administrators over finances at public meetings.
The settlement agreement, which the district released two months after The Suffolk County News originally filed a public request, states that Centamore “shall receive his regular salary, consistent with the Superintendent’s Agreement, without any additional benefits, less applicable payroll taxes and any other required deductions, for three months from Aug. 20, 2026.”
Centamore’s annual salary was nearly $280,000, according to the three-year contract extension the board of education signed in June 2025. With Centamore receiving three months’ pay through the settlement agreement, the district paid the outgoing superintendent about $70,000 this summer.
After his resignation from Connetquot School District, Centamore was soon hired by North Babylon School District as an assistant superintendent. The school board hired Bryan Frank, a former social studies director, as a temporary replacement before his retirement last month.
On Sept. 18, the school board hired Peggie Staib, a former Connetquot assistant superintendent, as interim superintendent, for $1,700 per day.
During an Oct. 6 public meeting, Connetquot Board of Education president Jacquelyn DiLorenzo, who was the sole vote against hiring Staib, said she “only learned of the board’s intent to offer the position to Dr. Staib less than two days before the decision and met her for the first time less than two hours before” she was asked to vote.
“I had no resume to review and very little time to vet this selection,” DiLorenzo said. “In my opinion, 48 hours simply isn’t enough for a decision of this magnitude, especially under those circumstances.”
DiLorenzo also said her vision for finding an interim superintendent was for someone experienced in the role who could help the district “get back on [its] feet,” particularly with finances.
Some community members, including former school board trustees Jacqueline Napolitano Furno and Milynn Augulis, raised concerns about Staib’s salary and quick hiring process.
“After watching that meeting regarding the superintendent and hearing the board president speak after just receiving this resume only a day or two beforehand, makes me question the integrity of the process,” Augulis, who was on the board during Centamore’s hiring, said. “When we have a district that has some financial challenges, it would have been wiser to hire somebody that had a finance background, and certainly not at $1,700 a day.”
During the Oct. 6 public meeting, Connetquot Board of Education trustee Marissol Mallon said she understood “that the community is up in arms” over the agreed salary and hiring process. In coming up with the $1,700-per-day figure, Mallon said she added Centamore’s salary with all his benefits, which added up to around $374,000, and which at 220 days worked per year comes to around $1,700. Mallon said she used the same calculation for two other vacant administrative positions.
“In my opinion, Dr. Staib is worth every penny that she’s getting every day that she’s working,” Mallon said. “Dr. Staib came in with a vision before she even had the position offered to her. She rolled up her sleeves and knew what she needed to do.”
The Connetquot School District had no comment on the settlement agreement’s release, and said there is nothing to report regarding its search for a permanent superintendent at this time.
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