New superintendent ‘a perfect fit’ for Locust Valley schools

Locust Valley Central School District’s new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Kenneth E. Graham, has several goals, but what is most important, he said, is building relationships.

Hired in mid-April, Graham, 47 — who started work on July 1, and whose contract includes an annual base salary of $275,000 — said that relationships with the community, students, staff and the media will be instrumental in accomplishing his goals.

Though he lives in Babylon with his wife and three children — one who is college bound as well as 11th- and ninth-graders — Graham is not new to Nassau County. His first job out of college was in the Long Beach School District,  where he was a science teacher for 11 years. He was also head coach of the varsity boys’ and girls’ cross-country and track teams for eight of those years.

Then he took a job as director of the science department in the Huntington Central School District, but he stayed for only a year. Long Beach wanted him back, and offered him a job as its science director, which he accepted in 2008.

In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy ravaged Long Beach. Graham said that the students, faculty, staff, community and facilities were all impacted immensely.

“In the time immediately following the storm, I was a part of a district leadership team whose priority was restoring the school community for the students and families of Long Beach,” he said. “Our focus was to provide our students with a safe environment.”

He remained at Long Beach, overseeing an award-winning science research program, and was promoted to assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. He also helped implement the International Baccalaureate program.

In 2016 he was offered the superintendent’s position in the Sachem Central School District.

The Locust Valley Board of Education worked with the search firm School Leadership, LLC this spring in its search for a new superintendent. Jennifer Maselli, the board’s president, said Graham was impressive from the first time she met him.

“On his first interview he showed up with a presentation about our district,” she said. “He knew everything about us. He shared with us where he wanted to go to improve our schools.”

The search was eventually narrowed down to two candidates. “They were both great but we were all leaning toward Dr. Graham,” Maselli said. “We spoke to people who worked for him at Sachem, and it confirmed what we thought to be true, that he would be a perfect fit for our school district.”

Graham said he was optimistic that schools would open in the fall. He is a part of a district committee that is considering a range of plans based on what Gov. Andrew Cuomo eventually decides. The committee includes administrators, teachers, parents, staff and school board members.

“The state has required that we submit our plans,” Graham said. “But we have received no guidance yet from the state. We are trying to figure out the best ways, which include staggering when students go to school [and] putting the desks six feet apart. I am hoping that the state regulations will come soon.”

If schools do not open, he said, the district would continue distance learning, although he said he hoped it would not have to. He has reached out to the PTA for its opinions on distance learning, and will be sending out a survey to all parents.

His overall goal, he said, is to prepare students for life after school, which doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. At Sachem, Graham created an advisory panel comprising students from sixth to 12th grades. They had to apply for the panel or be recommended by their principal. They met with Graham once a month to discuss their concerns. He said he would like to do something similar at Locust Valley.

“I met on Zoom meetings in early June with students from the student leadership groups in the middle school and high school here, and asked them for advice for the new guy,” Graham said. “They all said Locust Valley feels like a family to them, and they wanted to preserve that. The younger kids were very excited to be talking to their superintendent.”

Graham said he told them all not to be a )stranger, and to say hello if they saw him in the halls. “I wanted to encourage them to have a line of communication with me and the district office,” he explained.

At Sachem, Graham oversaw 15 schools with nearly 13,000 students and a $327 million school budget. It was hard to build personal relationships there because of the district’s size, he said. “One of the things that’s attractive here is it’s much smaller,” he said. “This is a high-performing school district, and that was very attractive to me to be given the opportunity to be a leader here. I feel honored.”

Maselli said the board was confident that Graham would help the district accomplish its goals. “He will help to develop and enhance the education and financial stability of our schools,” she said. “Dr. Graham stood out as the right choice not just for his outstanding  qualifications in a field of experienced candidates, but as someone determined and willing to roll up his sleeves, work with all stakeholders, and move our district forward.”