Kanas reflects on District 30 career

As her days leading Valley Stream District 30 come to a close, Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas admits it’s hard to say goodbye.

“It is really tough,” said Kanas, who wraps up her four-year tenure as schools chief next week. “Everything that I pack reminds me of something.”

Kanas was chosen to lead the East Williston School District, an 1,800-student kindergarten through 12th grade district in central Nassau County. She said she never sought the job and wasn’t planning to leave Valley Stream so soon, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

On Aug. 1, she moves into the superintendent’s office at East Williston. She said she is excited for the chance to lead a district that includes a middle school and a high school.

But, she said, her time leading an elementary district was not without meaning. She enjoyed meeting and developing relationships with the families in the district, and helping foster of a love of learning in students at a young age.

She came to Valley Stream, her first job on Long Island, to replace long-time Superintendent Lawrence McGoldrick. Previously, Kanas was an assistant superintendent in the upstate Carmel School District, and began her education career teaching theater and English at an independent school in New York City.

Kanas said one of her goals during her four years in District 30 was to include the community in the decision-making process. She said they embraced that opportunity, which created a team approach to education in the district. “I think I’ve been able to help facilitate that collaborative process,” she said. “I think that’s a gift I can leave for Valley Stream 30’s next superintendent.”

She, along with the Board of Education, created a Strategic Plan which maps out the district’s short- and long-term goals. Kanas said the district also uses data a lot more to make instructional and financial decisions.

There has been a lot of turnover in the administrative ranks during her tenure, but Kanas said the current team is a strong group that will keep the district moving forward without her. Board of Education Trustee Ken Cummings agreed, noting that Kanas hired all three principals, and several central administrators.

Test scores in the district have been steadily rising over the past few years, and Kanas said she is pleased with the progress. She pointed to the state and national recognition District 30 has received in the past few years, and that school officials beyond Valley Stream look to it as a model for curriculum practices.

Kanas shares all that success with everyone in the district. “I’m pleased that the good work of everybody is recognized,” she said, “and perhaps that can have some impact beyond our own district.”

Cummings, who served as the board president during Kanas’s first two years with the district, said she has become one of the best superintendents in Nassau County during the last four years.

He explained that Kanas’s mark on the district will be the focus on early intervention and early reading skills she has brought, implementing numerous programs designed to keep students on track in their later elementary years.

Cummings also praised her high energy and terrific work ethic.

Kanas said the biggest challenge as superintendent was finding ways to pay for the programs that administrators wanted to develop. It was also a challenge, at times, to get other members of the community to trust her vision and new ideas for the district, she said.

While she has sometimes faced criticism from the public, Kanas said she always believed that her decisions were made in the best interest of the students. “To do this job, you have to have a very thick skin,” she said.

Kanas said she has developed strong relationships with the other Valley Stream school superintendents. She said together they have worked to increase collaboration among the four districts.

While she will continue to see them at gatherings of Nassau County superintendents, she won’t see the staff of District 30 as often, and said that is the toughest part of leaving. “I’m going to miss most the people,” she said.

With Kanas departing, the Board of Education is expected to name her successor this week.