New Wantagh Principals Appointed

New leadership will be in place at two Wantagh elementary schools starting this summer.

The Wantagh Board of Education approved appointments of Anthony Ciuffo and Dr. Randee Bonagura as new principals at Forest Lake Elementary School and Wantagh Elementary School, respectively, during its Thursday night meeting. Ciuffo has been assistant principal at Wantagh Middle School the last two years while Bonagura has served as principal at Babylon Memorial Grade School since the summer of 2011.

Ciuffo will replace Laurance Anderson, who was appointed as leader of Forest Lake in an interim role last October after longtime principal Maureen Goldberg was tapped to serve as the district’s superintendent.

“Anthony knows Wantagh well as he has been a member of our professional staff since 2001,” said Goldberg of Ciuffo, whose contracted salary in his new principal post is $133,000. “We believe that Mr. Ciuffo possesses the personal qualities and professional skills necessary to successfully lead the Forest Lake School.”

Bonagura was hired at a salary of $135,000 to replace longtime Wantagh Elementary School Principal Dr. Donald Sternberg, who announced his retirement in February. She previously spent five years in the Wantagh School District as a supervisor of supportive reading from 2005-2010.

“I’m honored and so excited to be back to Wantagh, which is really what I consider my professional home,” said Bonagura at Thursday’s school board meeting. “I know I have big shoes to fill and I plan to do my best and do a great job here.”