Q and A: Berezny Looks Back at Time on School Board

Wednesday night's Riverhead Central School District Board of Education meeting will mark the first meeting in nine years without Kathy Berezny.

The Yonkers native-turned "mayor of Riverhead," as she remembers being called by some people, is stepping aside to take some time for herself. After involvement with the Parent-Teacher Organization prior to her stint on the board, Berezny says, half-kidding, that one of the things she's most looking forward to is giving her home a good clean.

Berezny recently took some time to share her thoughts on parting her current position, what she'll be up to now, and what brought her to Riverhead in the first place.

Riverhead Patch: How long have you lived in Riverhead?

Kathy Berezny: I have been in Riverhead for 37 years. I married my husband 36 years ago and I grew up in Yonkers. I remember when I came out here, my friends said it was the boonies. I thought it was the boonies (laughs). It was like the end of the world for me. But it's beautiful.

Patch: How and why did you get involved with the school board?

KB: I started getting involved with the PTO. The first board meeting I attended was in August 1990. But my kids went to Roanoke and I wanted to make sure the schools were equal. They should always be equal. But my son never learned print, he only learned cursive at Roanoke. They had a roof that leaked. And I got involved with the school board because I thought I could make a difference.

Before I moved to Riverhead, I worked for a nice doctor who exposed me to a lot of things. My mom couldn't get involved when I was younger because she was always working, and my dad was sick - we weren't very well off. But I always tried to fight for the kids, because I thought kids should be well-rounded.

Patch: What personal accomplishment are you most proud of as a school board member?

KB: I remember I wrote a letter one time - I always write letters - and I got 200 tickets to a broadway show for the school. That was a $16,000 gift, and I'll never forget that. You see, if you don't ask, you're not going to get what you want.

Patch: Have you written any letters recently?

KB: I wrote one to Obama. I said he should come to Riverhead. If he wants to show us that people can do great things with an education, he should come show us. We're 90 miles from New York City, I don't see why he can't. I don't know though, we're kind of a Republican town (laughs). 

Patch: What have you seen change in the nine years you've been on the board?

KB: We don't have the same volume of parents coming out to the board meetings anymore. I remember we used to fight for this, and fight for that. It's important to come out, and parents should go and learn about the programs their children are getting, or not getting.