West Hempstead appoints new superintendent

Patricia Sullivan-Kriss, a lifetime Rockville Centre resident and the current superintendent of the Hauppauge School District, was unanimously appointed West Hempstead’s new superintendent, following the retirement of Superintendent John Hogan. Her four-year appointment will begin next July 1.

Sullivan-Kriss has been in education for 39 years, having started as a teacher in Rockville Centre and worked her way up to top administrative positions in the William Floyd, Carle Place, Plainview/Old Bethpage and Hauppauge districts. She has been superintendent in Hauppauge since 2006.

“I welcome the opportunity to serve as West Hempstead’s next superintendent of schools, and I look forward to meeting the staff, parents and students of this great district,” she said. “I am excited to continue the district’s upward trajectory and to introduce expanded opportunities for all students.”

Sullivan-Kriss, who will retire from the Hauppauge district, implemented numerous program changes there, including elementary-school foreign language instruction, Innovations Math, a literacy collaborative, the International Baccalaureate program, Advanced Placement enhancements and a travel-abroad program. She also developed a $1.5 million technology initiative and a multi-year plan to address facility improvements, and worked collaboratively with the teachers’ association to implement a consistent teacher observation and evaluation process.

Asked about the West Hempstead district’s $46 million bond proposition, which includes major repairs to five schools and the razing of the Marion Delaney School on Eagle Avenue, Sullivan-Kriss said, “The reason any district is going out for bonds is that work that administrators used to be able to include in a regular operating budget is now more difficult to include because of the tax cap. I’m very hopeful it will pass, because the kids will surely benefit from it. I know everyone is very hopeful that the community will be able to support it.”

Sullivan-Kriss is president-elect of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, which provides professional development opportunities for its members.

Leading up to the start of her term, the district will host opportunities for staff, parents, students and community members to