Mineola School Superintendent Resigns After Nearly Month-Long Suspension

MINEOLA, NY — The Mineola School Board of Education accepted the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Michael Nagler, who had been suspended since January after he was accused of violating the district's ethics code and his employment contract.

His resignation was made effective Thursday evening, and Catherine Fishman was unanimously appointed interim superintendent of schools at the Board of Education Meeting.

Mineola Schools Superintendent Michael Nagler was suspended on Jan. 8 after an investigator, Nathaniel Nichols, said Nagler violated the district's code of ethics and his employment contract.

Nagler and his son, James, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, worked on a new digital learning management system (LMS) that the school implemented at the start of the school year. Nagler had been under investigation since October for this LMS after parents complained to the Board and after they became aware that the program was developed by Quave, a private company founded by Nagler and James.

He has been with the district since 1999 and served as superintendent since 2009. Nagler's contract with the district would have run through July 2027.

Richard Zuckerman, an attorney for the board and labor lawyer, said at the Board Meeting Thursday evening that an agreement was reached that evening:

"Dr. Nagler submitted his resignation for retirement purposes effective tonight," he said. "That means that his employment agreement with the district that would have otherwise run through July of 2027 ends as of tonight."

In regards to if he will be paid any further, Zuckerman said Dr. Nagler will be paid through July 20, 0f 2026.

"He is receiving a payment equivalent to the next 5 months of his contractual salary, and he is waiving the rest of his contractual salary and benefits," he said. "His employment agreement that was signed in 2022, said that he would get a salary every year, certain benefits every year, and if he retired, he would get benefits."

Zuckerman explained that Nagler will be paid for some benefits, and a certain number of vacation days and sick days. Some of the money will be paid in the form of a lump sum payment, while others get paid at certain points over the next few years.

"The Board agreed to live up to his contract because it had to," Zuckerman said. "Dr. Nagler was retired by contract to give a certain amount of notice, and we agreed to waive that notice."

On the topic of the LMS, Zuckerman said that Nagler represented to them in writing that all of the data, student data – if there was any – and all work done by Mineola staff, and all Mineola-related material that he and his son worked on, "was destroyed and cannot be retrieved."

He added that if, for any reason, Nagler decides he wants to do anything with the program himself, "we can't legally stop him from that, but he can't use our data."

Zuckerman continued, stating: "We agreed that we will not be suing him over this," and "he has agreed not to sue us."

In the letter from the Mineola Board of Education, they said they are confident in Fishman to continue in the role as interim superintendent.

"As you know, Ms. Fishman has served in the capacity of acting superintendent since Jan. 8," the letter said. "Over the past month, she has worked tirelessly to ensure the uninterrupted operations of our school district and has made it a priority to engage with all stakeholders, listen thoughtfully to concerns, and maintain open lines of communication during a challenging period. We have full confidence that Ms. Fishman will continue to guide Mineola with a clear focus on the district’ mission and with the best interests of all students in mind."

The letter continued:

"As we begin our search for the next superintendent of schools, we are committed to transparency and engaging in a process that is thorough and inclusive of community input. We will keep you updated through this process and encourage your participation.

Let us be clear: Mineola is a strong and thriving district. We are innovative, inclusive, and resilient. We have incredibly dedicated teachers and staff members who go to great lengths to ensure our students are challenged, supported, and cared for every day. During this time of transition, great work continues to happen in our classrooms at all levels. And as we look ahead to our next leader, we are hopeful for a future that builds upon this strong foundation already in place."