New Franklin Square school superintendent is getting to know the district

Before becoming the superintendent of the Franklin Square School District this summer, Jared Bloom had never worked in a centralized high school district. But, he said, he had had a variety of experiences at the elementary and high school levels.

Bloom studied English at SUNY Empire State College, and earned a master’s degree in secondary English at Hofstra University in 2003, where he became an adjunct professor. He then headed to Minnesota to earn a doctorate in Leadership in Educational Administration from Capella University in 2008, and began working as the district administrator of instructional technology and English language arts in the Deer Park School District.

Eventually, Bloom moved to the South Huntington School District, where he served as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for five years, during which he helped the district earn $3.2 million in grants and helped develop its coding program. In 2017, Western Suffolk BOCES named Bloom Administrator of the Year for his leadership at South Huntington.

“The community wanted someone with an educational background who worked as either a superintendent or an assistant superintendent,” Franklin Square’s former interim superintendent, Rainier Melucci, said of the search criteria for a new superintendent, “and Dr. Bloom’s work as an assistant superintendent in South Huntington speaks for itself.”

After the announcement of his appointment in May, Bloom said, he met with the assistant superintendents, and had a chance to meet some 700 students in the district’s Summer Recreation program. “It’s been fantastic,” he said of the experience. “I believe we have an unbelievable and dedicated staff.”

He has begun working with the other districts in the centralized high school district, and said he looked forward to collaborating more in the future.

Additionally, Bloom said, he has implemented an open-door policy, and held his first Coffee with the Superintendent event in September, welcoming parents to express their concerns or share their ideas with him. He plans to hold a second one later this month.

“Franklin Square is an amazing, amazing community,” he said. “I feel so blessed to be here.”