In 1999, David J. Helme retired as superintendent of the East Williston School District. In the succeeding years, he has remained active. Since his retirement, Helme has held interim posts in the Herricks and North Shore School Districts, and at the Long Island Regional School Support Center.

Now, he is back in another interim position, one that carries a higher profile than his previous jobs. At its last public meeting, the Roslyn Board of Education unanimously approved Helme as the interim superintendent for its troubled school district.

Roslyn BOE members conducted extensive interviews with numerous retired administrators for the position of interim superintendent.

"We all believe that Mr. Helme has the educational expertise, leadership skills, and commitment needed to help our community rebuild the faith and trust lost during the events of the past few months," said Judy Wilner, the BOE's vice president.

In late June, BOE members asked Helme if he would be interested in the interim position. He said yes, and eventually, he met with BOE members for what amounted to a job interview. At the Aug. 16 meeting, BOE members made his appointment official.

When he first heard about the embezzlement scandal in the Roslyn School District, Helme said he was as "frustrated, angry, and disappointed" as local residents were, not just for the Roslyn district, but for the entire education profession. Such scandals, he added, would breed feelings of "cynicism and suspicion" between parents, taxpayers and their public school districts.

Still, Helme said that the scandal, as serious as it is might lead to some good. "By the time we're done, we'll probably have a model district," he claimed. Helme noted that since the scandal broke, the district has been conducting an internal audit of its finances. It has also hired a new treasurer and deputy treasurer, plus an assistant superintendent for business and new legal firm to advise the BOE.

While Helme has never worked in the Roslyn district before, his previous jobs have been at public schools in the North Shore area. In short, he has always been familiar with news coming from Roslyn. Plus, he is a native of nearby Mineola.

"We have a very strong school system," Helme said, echoing remarks numerous other educators have made. "We have high achieving students. Our academic rating is very high. The district is a victim of a few people who ripped the place apart and vandalized it."

Helme's term will run through June 30, 2005. During that time, there is, Helme admitted, "a lot of work to do." For now, Helme is prepared to perform the traditional duties of a superintendent's job. He plans to make sure that the new school year, which is only a few weeks away, opens with an academic program in place for students and staff members alike.

There are also "technical aspects" to be worked out. That includes putting procedures in place to prevent such embezzlements from ever happening again. "We have to rebuild credibility [with the district]," Helme said, adding that such an effort would likely "take place over a long period of time."

In addition, a new school budget has to be prepared. More specifically, the district has two months to draft a budget for the 2005-2006 year. The criteria for such a budget, Helme said, comes down to certain questions: What does the district need, what will its cost be, and where do you get the money?

Helme has said that he plans to conduct all budget matters with "utter transparency," a goal he reiterated in his interview with The Roslyn News.

"I'm here, I'm a committed administrator for the district and I'm going to do my best," he said.

Helme served as superintendent of the East Williston district from 1992 to 1999. His professional career spans more than 40 years, almost all of its as a teacher or an administrator in the Great Neck, Port Washington, and East Williston schools. In addition to working in the Herricks and North Shore districts, Helme, since 1999, has also been on the faculties of Touro College and Stony Brook University. At Herricks, Helme served as an assistant superintendent, while at North Shore, he was principal of the North Shore Middle School.