Lison reflects on District 13 career

In a week, District 13 Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison will say goodbye to a place she has come to love during the past eight years. The veteran educator will be retiring on June 30, and will be replaced by Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund, an assistant superintendent in the Commack School District.

Lison began her teaching career in 1973 in the Three Village School District in Suffolk County. She then moved on to Seaford to become an elementary school principal, before a promotion to assistant superintendent. Prior to coming to Valley Stream, Lison served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Smithtown.

The Herald recently sat down with Lison talk with her about her career in District 13 and her plans for retirement.

Her first memories

Lison’s first day on the job, July 1, 2003, was also the same date as the Board of Education’s re-organization meeting. The agenda, about eight pages long, had been put together by the previous superintendent, so Lison said she was hoping board members didn’t ask her any tough questions.

Thankfully, she said, they never put her on the spot and Lison quickly realized that she and the board were a team.

Over the summer, as teachers would come in to set up their classrooms, many would stop by to introduce themselves. Lison said she had numerous deep conversations about education with the staff, and that’s when she knew District 13 was a special place. “I had a very good feeling that everyone was intent on doing their jobs,” she said.

Accomplishments

Lison said one of her major goals was to improve technology in the district. When she arrived in 2003, staff members didn’t have email, there was no computer network and no district website. That all changed.

All the computers have been replaced during the past eight years and there is now a SmartBoard in every classroom. Educational software has been added and a network created and improved. Lison said these technology initiatives couldn’t have happened without everyone working together, or without the support of the Board of Education.

She is proud of the partnership between the school district and the Valley Stream Little League to build a new baseball field at Howell Road School, which was completed in 2007. She said it took about a year of discussion to get all the contract details ironed out, but said now there is a beautiful field for the district and the Little League to use.

The creation of a block schedule ensures that there is a large chunk of time devoted each day in each classroom to English Language Arts skills, such as reading and writing. That time is sacred, she said, and students do not leave the classroom for any special services.

Every curriculum area has been reviewed, Lison said, with major revisions made to the English as a Second Language and gifted programs. Additionally, certified phys. ed. teachers have been hired as noon-hour supervisors to encourage exercise during recess.

She also cited the grant money the district received for new playgrounds at the James A. Dever and Willow Road schools, and the community effort to build them. The District’s Relay for Life at North High School, which raised money for the American Cancer Society, was also a huge hit, Lison said.

The challenges

In her first two years as superintendent, the budget was defeated on the first try, before being approved the second time. The state also offered funding for building projects through the EXCEL program. The district would receive the money as long as voters approved it, which they did. “We had people still vote no,” she said. “It still passed, but no to free money? I took it personally that I did not do a good job in explaining this.”

Lison said from that point forward, she made sure to communicate information about the budget to the public. She created the budget ambassador program which used members of the public to spread the word about the district’s annual proposed spending plan.

Creating the wellness policy a few years ago was quite the challenge, she explained. Lison said the decision was made to ban celebration foods in the classroom, essentially known as the “No Cupcake” policy. She was surprised at the backlash from parents, who initially were disappointed they could not send in food to school for their child’s birthday. “The parents, not so much the kids, were devastated,” she said. “I didn’t realize that cupcakes would be such an emotional topic.”

Lison said parents eventually came to embrace the other ways to celebrate special days, which had a more academic focus. Still, she said, at least one parent brings up the absence of celebration food every year.

Being a leader

Lison says that while she makes numerous routine decisions on her own every day, much of the long-term planning is done through teamwork. Curriculum revisions, technology plans and other major decisions are done through a collaboration of teachers, staff and administrators. She said people feel ownership over something when they are involved in the decision-making.

Also, when a new initiative is put into place, Lison always ensures that there is a team in place to analyze how it is working, and note any changes that have to be made.

She also is proud of the stability in the district’s administration over the past eight years. Lison hired only one administrator during her tenure, Linda Roth, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Lison admits it was surprising to have such little turnover in her eight years, but says that stability has really allowed the district to move forward.

The three principals who were here when she started — Darren Gruen of the James A. Dever School, Stephanie Capozzoli at Willow Road and Frank Huplosky at Howell Road — never left. Wheeler Avenue School Principal Christine Zerillo started with Lison. She cited the trust they have in each other.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Meredith Brosnan had already been with the district six years, and Lisa Sells-Asch was established in her position leading special education when Lison arrived.

Lison said the most rewarding part of her job has been working together with these administrators, as well as board members, teachers and parents to make a difference in the lives of thousands of students. She noted that in her time as superintendent, she has worked with 13 different Board of Education members and six different board presidents.

Her advice for the new superintendent is to be patient and open-minded, and look at each day as a new challenge.

What’s next for Lison?

Most important, Lison says, is that she does not want to be on a schedule anymore. Her plans for retirement so far include going to the gym and going to the beach. She has some travel planned for the fall including trips to California, Tuscany and Las Vegas.

She also says she can see herself doing some kind of work with women in the non-profit sector. Lison said she isn’t actively looking for work, but still has a feeling that there is something in the cards for her. “It’s going to find me,” she said.

There are a few aspects of the job she won’t miss, such as the interference from the state Education Department, or having to make a decision on a snow day. And she certainly won’t miss the daily commute on the Southern State Parkway.

But she will miss the adrenaline rush she gets every day, when something unexpected happens. Those situations can be good, and they can be bad, but Lison said she enjoys the challenge and the ability to solve problems.

And of course, she says, she will lose out on a favorite daily routine of the past eight years, one that reminded of the reasons she went into education in the first place. “I will miss having the ability to walk down the hall,” she said, “and be with the kids.”

SAYING THIER GOODBYES