Connetquot superintendent Joseph Centamore to receive $70G after resigning
Joseph Centamore during a Connetquot school board meeting in 2025. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
The Connetquot school district agreed to pay its former superintendent nearly $70,000 after he abruptly resigned this summer, recently obtained records show.
Joseph Centamore resigned on Aug. 4. He started working as interim assistant superintendent for human resources and educational operations in the North Babylon district on Aug. 17.
According to a settlement agreement obtained by Newsday through a public records request, Centamore was to receive three months' pay from the Connetquot district after his departure. With a base pay of $279,774 for the 2026-27 school year, according to his contract, that comes out to $69,943.50.
Centamore did not receive any additional benefits, such as a payout for unused leave, according to the agreement. In the agreement, Centamore asserts "there are no pending matters, claims, charges, complaints or actions ... against or with respect to any of the releasees, as identified above, filed or submitted by the Employee, or on the Employee's behalf, with any federal, state or local court, department, administrator or other agency."
Centamore was initially appointed superintendent of the Connetquot district in 2023 with a base salary of $265,000, records show. He previously served as a deputy superintendent in the South Huntington school district. He had signed a new contract with Connetquot last year that also extended his term to 2028.
It’s unclear why Centamore parted ways with Connetquot. Neither he nor a spokeswoman for the district returned requests for comment.
A North Babylon district spokesperson declined to comment. The district has not said how much Centamore is being paid.
Ken Girardin, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a fiscally conservative think tank, said it’s not uncommon for school superintendents to receive payouts or continue getting paid after resigning.
"Superintendents are unique in that they serve at the pleasure of the board, and that gives them more flexibility to negotiate unique contracts," he said.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
