On March 24, the Lakeland Board of Education appointed Dr. Karen Gagliardi as Superintendent of Schools. For the past six months, Dr. Gagliardi has been the interim Superintendent.
In a letter to students, families and staff, Gagliardi writes, “As you may know, yesterday evening, I was appointed as Superintendent of Schools at the Board of Education Business Meeting. I was able to share my sentiments with those in attendance, and I wanted to extend my gratitude to the entire Lakeland community today.
“My experience serving the district over the last six months has greatly reaffirmed my commitment to serving in this role. Thank you for your confidence in me as I move forward in this role.
“I am proud of the strides our community has made in just six months. The future is bright for Lakeland, and I am humbled and honored to lead and serve our district. With the restrictions and mandates of the pandemic behind us, we will sharpen our focus on instruction and work to enhance our educational spaces to best engage students. There will always be challenges to overcome, but I am confident that we will continue to grow together to support the needs of all students through collaboration and learning from one another.
To close, I would also like to note that the timing and location of my appointment are especially meaningful, with March being Women’s History Month and the fact that both of my daughters’ graduated from Lakeland High School. The District has been my professional home for many many years. I share this appointment with everyone who has influenced and supported my journey,” wrote Gagliardi.
Gagliardi has served in the Lakeland school since 2003, including Principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Lakeland School Board President Adam Kaufman said, “In addition to her leadership skills, Dr. Gagliardi has a keen understanding of the needs of our district and has assembled a strong leadership team that is equally dedicated to the students of Lakeland.”
Gagliardi was the subject of outrageous abuses from members of the Lakeland community at a school board meeting on Feb. 10, when she was called a “n**** lover” by someone in the crowd while wallking out at the end of the meeting.
Other comments at that meeting included one speaker being called an “Uncle Tom” and Board President Kaufman told “how very German of you,” when he was trying to restore order. But the lunatic fringe of Lakeland parents and taxpayers continued, saying, “This isn’t Harlem,” and who “is paying for all of the immigrant children to attend our schools,” and “The way you end racism is you stop talking about it!”
Several speakers were removed from the podium by security, and eventually, Yorktown Police arrived to escort some from the meeting. Police were said to be investigating the slurs made against Gagliardi and whether the comments escalated to someone following her home from the meeting.
At the Lakeland BOE meeting on Feb. 17, a large crowd of students, parents and teachers came out to support Gagliardi and to speak out against the hate.
We are glad that Dr. Gagliardi heard those voices in support of the education that students are receiving in the Lakeland Schools, and the job that she is doing. Congratulations, you deserve it!
