Bayport schools chief to take Smithtown job

Bayport-Blue Point Superintendent Anthony J. Annunziato, past president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, may soon be the next superintendent in the Smithtown district.

Annunziato acknowledged he has accepted the position, but the Smithtown Board of Education must approve the appointment at its meeting Tuesday. He said he would elaborate after he is officially named.

In September, Smithtown Superintendent Edward Ehmann announced his plans to retire at the end of the school year. Ehmann, who is in his fifth year leading the district, has spent his entire 37-year career in Smithtown. His last day will be June 30. Ehmann, who earns $219,555, has said he plans to continue working with children.

On Friday, Ehmann said: "My understanding is that the negotiations are not 100 percent completed; I believe that they are at the final stages. There is no signed contract as of today. I think it's known it is Anthony Annunziato. He has made that clear to his district."

Last year, 179 Bayport-Blue Point residents signed petitions to cap salaries of top district administrators after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called for belt tightening and a salary cap.

Annunziato's salary, which was reported as $242,550 last March, would have been cut to $155,000 under Cuomo's then-proposed plan. The Bayport- Blue Point Board of Education rejected the petitions last year.