By Hank Russell
The Medford Chamber of Commerce welcomed the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association during the N-SSBA’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening at its new location at Brookhaven Professional Center, 3237 Route 112, Building 6, Suite 9 in Medford on April 2.
The N-SSBA is an organization that supports school boards, with training and workshops, as well as advocacy at the state and federal levels for educational funding and policies. The group’s executive director is Robert J. Vecchio. Prior to joining N-SSBA, he spent 32 years as the chief financial officer for a healthcare company in Westhampton Beach and 18 years as a member of the Wiliam Floyd School District Board of Education, 15 of which he served as president.
He later became a board member of N-SSBA, then the executive director when the person who served in that position retired. “That’s when the association offered me the position and I accepted,” he said.
The association was originally located in Bellmore, but decided to move to Medford when the lease expired. Vecchio said economics also played a factor in the move.
“We were looking to reduce our operating expenses,” he said. “Suffolk County was a lot more attractive from an economic standpoint and it also enabled us to reduce the size of our office at 1,500 square feet and we didn’t need that much space [for a new office].”
The business park off Route 112 is an ideal location from the Long Island Expressway and the Sunrise Highway, and the landlord was “more than accommodating to anything we needed prior to moving in, and they’ve been very responsive since as well.” he said. “We found that it’s been very easy to be located in Medford … when our Suffolk and Nassau members need to come out.”
Since moving in, the association has easily adapted to its new surroundings, by patronizing local restaurants and stores. “we’re a big believer in trying to keep things local,” Vecchio said.
On the topic of educational funding, Vecchio said he has been staying up to date on what is happening with the state budget and is hoping the Foundation Aid will be reinstated. “We’re definitely fighting to make sure Long Island gets its fair share of state aid for its schools and its students,” he said. “We are also advocating for change to the funding formula on how they distribute aid amongst school districts across the state.”
For more information on N-SBBA, call (516) 781-2053 or visit www.nssba.org.