From Elmont to East Meadow

The East Meadow School District will have a new superintendent come September. Kenneth Rosner will be taking over for retiring Superintendent Kenneth Card Jr., effective Sept. 1.

At the Board of Education meeting on April 19, Rosner was introduced by the board as the incoming superintendent. Rosner was there to greet meeting attendees.

“This process was long and arduous, and I would like to thank my fellow trustees for their dedication to this process,” board President Alisa Baroukh said. “Our nights were long, sometimes going until close to midnight.”

The search had been on since November, when District Wise Search Consultants was hired to help with the process of finding a new superintendent. Baroukh said that there were three finalists, and ultimately Rosner was chosen.

“Kenneth Rosner is an experienced and enthusiastic educator,” Baroukh said. “Mr. Rosner embraced the responsibility of advocating for the students, staff and community who represent over 100 countries and speak over 70 languages.”

Rosner comes to East Meadow from the Elmont School District, where he has served as superintendent for the past three years. He has 27 years of educational experience.

Rosner joined the Elmont School District in 2006, and served as principal of the Clara H. Carlson School for 11 years. He was appointed the district’s director of curriculum and instruction in 2017, and became superintendent in March 2020.

He began his educational career as a teacher aide at the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson. After earning his master’s degree in special education, he worked as a special education teacher for first-, second- and sixth-graders in the New York City Department of Education. He also held roles as staff developer for District 28 and assistant principal of P.S. 160 in Jamaica.

During his time at PS 160, he received a City of New York proclamation for educational excellence and community relations for his hard work and dedication to the community. He dedicated that award to his students and teachers.

In his 11 years as principal in Elmont, he received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. award for educational excellence and community relations and the Golden Apple award given by the March of Dimes for academic excellence and building community relations.

Baroukh said that Rosner’s philosophy is all about supportive supervision and expanding opportunities for all students through the implementation of school-based clubs that focus on educating the whole child. Under his leadership, she said, Elmont focused on developing project-based learning experiences in science and social studies and a one-to-one technology initiative for all kindergarten through sixth grade students.

In 2020, Rosner won the Gift of Giving community service award for his dedication to supporting his students and families during the pandemic.

“Mr. Rosner expressed to the Board of Education how proud and privileged he is to become the next superintendent of the East Meadow schools,” Baroukh said. “We very much look forward to welcoming him here.”

Rosner told the audience at East Meadow, including any teachers present, that he has “not forgotten what it’s like to be a classroom teacher,” and that he is there to support them and the work that they do.

He said that he’s always been an advocate for children who don’t have a voice, and that he’s proud of the work that he’s done as a teacher.

Rosner said the work he has done as Elmont’s elementary school district superintendent “may not perfectly translate” to what needs to be done in East Meadow, but he hopes to build relationships with community members in the next few months as this transition takes place.

“There’s a philosophy that I really follow — if you don’t have a seat at the table, you become an item on the menu,” Rosner said to the audience. “My job is to get everyone to that table.”

He also mentioned that he has been watching and listening to past board meetings, and that he is “ready to hit the ground running” to build relationships with the community.

“Right now I understand that there are some storm clouds hanging over the East Meadow School District, but behind those clouds the sun is shining,” Rosner said. “Great still happens here, those clouds will dissipate — I promise you that — and together great things will continue to happen.”