South Country superintendent Antonio Santana resigns amid fiscal crisis
South Country Superintendent of Schools Antonio Santana during a recent school board meeting at Bellport Middle School. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
South Country schools Superintendent Antonio Santana resigned Wednesday evening amid a fiscal crisis that has prompted calls for an investigation into possible criminal malfeasance.
The school board, at a special meeting, voted unanimously to approve Santana's resignation, which went into effect immediately.
"I am grateful to have worked alongside dedicated educators, administrators, support staff, families, community partners, and board members who care deeply about our students," Santana said in a statement. "South Country is a special place, and I will always be proud of the progress made on behalf of our children and community. If in any way my resignation contributes to the community approving the District's 2026-2027 budget, that will be a good thing."
In recent weeks, a petition circulated by parents had called for Santana to step down, saying he has been "ineffective and incompetent."
The board Wednesday appointed Jaclyn O’Hagan, the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and accountability, as acting superintendent of schools through May 13. John Dolan, who served as East Islip superintendent for 11 years, will serve as interim superintendent effective May 14.
"Mr. Santana served our district during a period of considerable challenge and transition," school board president Anne Hayes said in a statement. "Over this past year, Mr. Santana worked closely with the board, our district administrators, the State Comptroller’s Office, the State Education Department, and our local elected officials to address the financial and operational challenges facing the district."
Trustee Chris Picini said the board decided it was "best for both the district and Mr. Santana to separate. I am excited about the experience and energy that John Dolan will bring to our district as we navigate what will be a difficult budget vote."
Once the budget is settled, Picini said, Dolan will work with the board to hire a permanent superintendent that could be in place by the summer.
State lawmakers late last month approved an emergency bill to give the school district an immediate $7 million infusion of aid and permission to borrow another $11 million.
The move, legislators said, was necessary to prevent the financially troubled district from running out of money in the coming weeks.
"These tools have allowed us to stabilize the operations and avoid any further disruption to the process and the student programs," said John Belmonte, the district's acting assistant superintendent for finance and management services, adding that the interest-fee loan must be paid back in 30 years. "It puts a multi-recovery plan in place and puts us back on solid financial footing going forward."
Belmonte has said the district must close an $8.7 million deficit for 2025-26 and a budget gap of more than $5 million for 2026-27. There is also a negative $1.8 million in unassigned fund balance that resulted from overspending in 2024-25, officials have said.
In a report released last month, the state comptroller's office projected that the district's deficit would be $10.5 million when the current fiscal year ends in June, even after freezing discretionary spending and cutting dozens of positions for the current school year.
The district announced last fall that it had overspent the voter-approved 2024-25 budget by $3.5 million.
For example, the district budgeted $100,000 for terminal leave payouts and sick leave buybacks in 2024-25 when actual costs topped $1 million. In the prior two years, these costs had averaged $875,000, according to the comptroller's report.
For special education services paid to BOCES, the district had budgeted $5.8 million in 2024-25 — more than $1 million less than the actual cost and about 6% less than what the district had paid for those services the year prior, the report found.
Lawmakers representing the district have asked the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office to investigate how South Country got in such dire straits financially and whether criminal malfeasance was involved.
Santana told Newsday last month that "there’s no evidence of fraud" and "there will be no evidence of fraud." The money, he said, all went into programs.
To cover the deficit for the 2026-27 school year, the board has proposed raising the district's tax levy by 13.45%.
This would pierce the district's cap of 5.52%, meaning at least 60% of voters would have to approve the budget in the May 19 public vote.
For an average homeowner, the hike means an additional $749 per year in their school taxes, according to district officials.
The levy increase could be lowered to 12.19%, meaning $666 more in annual taxes for the average homeowner, if voters approve a proposition allowing South Country to reduce the transportation radius for children attending private schools from 25 miles to 15. That proposition will also be on the May 19 ballot.
Newsday's Dandan Zou contributed to this story.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
