Island Park admins hard at work in the new year

By ALEX COSTELLO and

ANNMARIE FERTOLI

Island Park's newest school administrators, hired at the end of the last school year, have been hard at work within the district, implementing new curriculum and community efforts in Island Park. Adele Pecora-Dusanenko, the new director of curriculum, instruction, and technology, and Steve Valenti, the new director of business, have been working closely with schools Superintendent Rosmarie Bovino to expand on current school programs. Their next big task will be planning for next year's school budget.

The new positions in the school district were formed to help fill the void of the now-defunct assistant superintendent position, as well as to replace a position in the district’s business office. “The district was really looking to consolidate and to reduce expenses,” Bovino said. “And we had somebody who was working in the business office on a part-time basis as a CPA and was costing the district a significant amount of money." So, the district created the two new positions — Pecora-Dusanenko's and Valenti's — to fill the void left by the eliminated position in the business office and the lack of an assistant superintendent. Bovino was promoted from assistant superintendent last year after former superintendent Dr. Edward Price retired.

According to Bovino, Pecora-Dusanenko has been focusing a lot of her energy on the district’s curriculum, implementing the Foreign Language in Elementary Schools program that was introduced this year, and teaching Spanish to kindergarten, first, second and third grade students. Bovino, who worked as principal of the Chinese International School in Hong Kong for six years, helped to implement a FLES program there, and is now working with closely with Pecora-Dusanenko to do the same in Island Park.