Valley Stream superintendent searches need you

When school starts next September, two of Valley Stream’s four school districts will be under new leadership. And in the coming weeks and months, Valley Stream residents will have a great opportunity to have a say on just who these new leaders should be.

As the calendar turns, the Central High School District and elementary District 13 are both beginning superintendent searches. The Board of Education in the high school district will be looking for a permanent replacement for Dr. Marc Bernstein, who retired in December after seven years with the district. The board has appointed former Bethpage schools chief Richard Marsh to lead in the interim.

At the end of June, District 13’s superintendent, Dr. Elizabeth Lison, will retire after eight years at the helm. The school board is hoping to find a replacement who can start July 1, without having to hire an interim superintendent.

Although each district’s board makes the ultimate decision on whom to hire, members of the public will have a chance to give their input on what qualities the next schools chief should have. District 13 has a public forum scheduled for Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at the James A. Dever School. The session will be led by representatives from the superintendent search firm School Leadership LLC.

School Leadership will also host a forum on Jan. 27 for community input into the Central High School District’s superintendent search.

We encourage residents to make the most of these opportunities. It is important to find a superintendent who is right for each district, and that’s what makes input from the public so critical. Remember, the superintendent’s job is to ensure that the community’s educational needs are being met, so residents should share these needs with the leaders of the search.

The superintendent of schools is like the CEO of a business, overseeing hundreds of employees and a multi-million-dollar budget. And he or she has to have the best interests of the customers — your children — in mind.