Within hours of being sworn in, the 2025-2026 Newburgh School Board fired the district's acting superintendent and named a replacement.

The leadership switch was one of many changes the board made in its first meeting with its two newly elected members who have opposed a curriculum and staff shakeup by now-fired Acting Superintendent Lisa Buon.

The six-member anti-Buon majority held separate votes to suspend Buon, terminate her employment, and install veteran administrator Onyx Peterson in Buon's place.

Those who have been calling for Buon's ouster issued a new challenge to the majority at Tuesday evening's reorganizational school board meeting.

"Our community is in need of healing and unity," former board member Dawn Fucheck told the board. "I'm asking this governance team to rise to the occasion."

Second-grafer Kayla Rich's family hopes this fourth change in district leadership in four years makes a difference as Kayla comes up through the school system.

Kayla's grandmother, Tika Cortez-Hernandez, said many in the family struggled once they hit high school.

One of them dropped out.

"My kids went through the whole system graduating, and there was a lot going on then too," Cortez-Hernandez said. "The littler ones aren't as affected as the older ones in the high school and stuff. That's where you'll see more of it to where it's affecting the children."

The new majority also reversed much of Buon's staffing overhaul.

Eight positions that Buon nixed with plans to divert the savings to hire teaching assistants were brought back.

Four other administrators who Buon fired outright were reinstated.

Since an addendum was put in her contract affording her a 90-day notice, Buon will still be paid by the district until Sept. 29.

She will still receive paychecks totaling about $70,000.

Superintendent Jackielyn Manning-Campbell — still suspended on undisclosed disciplinary charges - also continues to collect her salary of $300,000 per year.

News 12 asked the district if new Acting Superintendent Peterson will receive a salary increase on top of her yearly pay of $170,000, and has not heard back.

Shortly after taking her center seat between the board members, Peterson said the reversal of Buon's staffing overhaul will also cost time and money.

"While they are rooted in a desire for progress, it is clear that some actions have consequences that we now must address as a community," she said.

Buon, a trained literacy expert and advocate, told News 12 Wednesday she plans to ask the board at its next meeting not to reverse her decision to switch the district's reading programs.

She said the program the district has been using is a significant reason for why 70 percent of students grades kindergarten through eighth cannot read at grade level.