Members of the Pine Bush school board filed into the high school cafeteria last Tuesday night and took their seats at the front of the room on either side of a chair where Tim O Mains once sat. His nameplate rested on the table and next to that lay a bouquet of white flowers.

Outside, in front of the school on busy Route 302, where cars must slow to 30 mph, an electronic sign usually given over to routine announcements instead read in blue lights, “In loving memory of our dear superintendent. Thank you for everything Tim O Mains.”

Shortly after 7 p.m., the board convened its regular session. People were asked to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence, board president Gretchen Meier said, for the superintendent and for everyone recently lost to the community.

The minutes of past meetings were duly accepted.

Then came the hard part.

Mike Pacella sat to the left of the president rather than the right out of respect for Mains, he said, and because, “I feel he is with us.”

“This may take a while,” Pacella continued as he began reading only to pause to keep his own grief in check. “As you know our Pine Bush family has lost a great leader, a great human being and a very close friend to many of us,” said Pacella, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. As Meier shifted her chair closer to Pacella and placed a hand on his shoulder, he went on to give thanks for the outpouring of emotional and resource support to, for example, William Hecht, the chief operating officer, and his team at Orange-Ulster BOCES. Mains was acclaimed as “a dedicated, visionary leader and great champion of the students he served” on the BOCES Facebook page.

Pacella thanked the many school superintendents who have offered their help to Pine Bush and noted that their posts and those of other officials, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, made it clear that “Tim was way, way more than our superintendent.”

“There was one quote I read that sums up this brilliant and gentle man,” Pacella said. “He was a giant among giants.”

Ending with a bit of humor, Pacella said that when he sees Mains again, he’ll give him a hug and tell him that his passing during budget season was really poorly timed.

Meier had prepared her own statement and asked the small gathering in the room and those watching at home to please bear with her because she hadn’t made it through the whole message yet.

“As we move forward in 2022, we need to focus on the positive influence we had from Tim,” she said. Her own experiences with Mains, helped, she said, getting through the difficult time. “He was a great mentor because he never told me what to do,” Meier said. Rather he would guide her toward solutions.

Although they did not always agree at first, she said, they worked together to figure out what “was best for our school community.” For this experience, she said, “I will forever be grateful.”

The board made it through the usual housekeeping items on the agenda, approving student placements; updating district polices on privacy, employment, bias and sexual harassment; signing off on the disposal of surplus equipment, auditors’ and treasurer’s reports and the like. They also authorized Orange-Ulster BOCES to assist in a search for a new superintendent.

Based on the continued review of positive COVID cases, Pine Bush High School will continue to operate remotely through the end of the week, Jan. 7, 2022. In addition, to help minimize the spread of COVID, the district will not allow spectators at all home games at all levels through Jan. 14, 2022, at which time it will reassess allowing spectators. The district will live stream the varsity and junior varsity events.

Pacella will serve as interim superintendent until at least January 18, in addition to his regular position.

In a surprise announcement, Meier said that Pacella, himself, will be retiring in July. Pacalla has spent more than eight years at Pine Bush and before that more than 20 years in the Newburgh School District, including time as assistant superintendent. Come March, he said, he will have served 30 years in education. He made a point of explaining that his decision to leave was made well before Mains’ death.

Mains spent 50 years in education, earning a Golden Apple award. He never stopped learning himself. He held multiple master’s degrees and at the time of his death on December 30 was working on a doctorate in educational policy and leadership. The district is planning several events to honor Mains, including a parade and tribute video.

Family and friends are invited to call on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Miller Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc., 3325 Winton Road South, Rochester. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, at Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1050 East Avenue, Rochester. A live stream of the service will be available at asburyfirst.org. Interment will be held at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one or more of Mains’ favorite charities: Abcinfo.org (Action For A Better Community, Inc,), Blackfriars.org (Black friars Theater), OutAlliance.org (formerly The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley), Lambdalegal.org (Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund), Thetaskforce.org (The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force).