By Nicole Falco
Dr. Marc Bernstein had no intention of coming out of retirement when the Central High School District Board of Education asked him to become interim superintendent of schools.
When Dr. Ronald D. Valenti resigned last Aug. 31 after three years in the job, Bernstein was appointed while a search for a permanent superintendent began. He was offered the top job late last year, and accepted. The board is expected to vote on his appointment Jan. 13.
A community forum was held at Memorial Junior High School Jan. 5 to give residents an opportunity to meet with and discuss educational goals with Bernstein. Before beginning a question-and-answer session, Anthony Iadevaio, president of the high school board, addressed criticism of the search.
Since announcing Bernstein as its choice in December, the board had been accused of not conducting a thorough search and excluding the community from the decision-making process. "If I or any member of the board wanted to hide information from the community, why would I send a letter out in advance [dated Dec. 9] while school was still open? ... [Hiding information] was not my or the board's intention," Iadevaio said.
He acknowledged the frustration some in the community may have felt after the Dec. 2 board meeting. At the time, the board was still in negotiations with Bernstein and could not discuss its intentions outside of executive session. Iadevaio explained that the board did contact nine superintendent search firms and received six proposals.
In searching for Valenti's successor, Iadevaio said, "We were looking for a successful person who had also been an established superintendent with an excellent track record."
Considering Bernstein's 23 years' experience as a district administrator in Bellmore-Merrick and Roslyn, and after having seen him in a "live audition," Iadevaio said that Bernstein matched the board's educational goals and its desire for stability.
Among the 60 or so who attended the forum were those who disapproved of the way the superintendent search was handled, but for the most part, differences were put aside. Instead of debating the board's choice, the dozen residents who walked up to the microphone took the opportunity to discuss the district's future.
Having seen three superintendents in 10 years, Pat Isaacson asked, "Will you be here when my third-grader is in seventh grade?" Besides a third-grader in District 24, Isaacson has a seventh- and 10th-grader in the high school district.
Bernstein frankly responded, "Part of my decision-making process in being pulled out of retirement, for me to financially benefit from coming out of retirement, I need to be in active employment for a minimum of five years. I will be signing a five-year contract with every intention of honoring it."
Additionally, because he would be signing a contract in mid-year, Bernstein said he would be "morally obligated" to complete a school year, so he is prepared to commit himself to the district for a minimum of six years.
"Six years is a reasonable amount of time for an experienced person ... to bring successes," he said.
Residents expressed a desire to see more successes. Johanna Lovalvo, a resident and former district employee, asked how test scores could be improved. Bernstein admitted that the scores achieved by last year's eighth-graders on the state's English language arts and math assessments were not as high as the district would like. He spoke of a need for greater communication between the high school and the three elementary districts during the transition from sixth to seventh grade, and said that academic intervention services need to begin in seventh grade, and that the district must develop a clearer "middle school philosophy."
Bernstein said he has met with Valley Stream's three elementary superintendents at least three times this school year, and explained that he worked with two of them while he was superintendent in Bellmore-Merrick.
New this year, Bernstein said the elementary districts will administer the sixth grade standardized test at about the same time. The high school district will have the standardized test results in time to evaluate the needs of the incoming seventh-grade class and share that information with teachers.
A longtime district resident, Ike Tress, expressed concern that more than half of the district's faculty has less than three years' experience. Bernstein said he has 100 percent confidence in his staff, including the building leaders at the four schools and the district's department heads, and their ability to manage their teams. In the four months he has been here, he said, he has often walked the schools' halls and is always evaluating his staff.
"I don't think, in our district, we can afford to be a training ground," Bernstein said. "We've got to get ahold of the district. We've got to make sure these kids get everything possible to make sure their educational needs are met."
Other issues raised during Monday's forum included the upcoming budget, residency, students with special needs, the cost of advanced-placement exams, summer school at Central and Memorial and the community's perception of each of the district's four schools.
Karin Waslo, mother of a fifth-grader in District 13 and a ninth-grader, asked how Bernstein would have handled the alleged sexual assaults on Bellmore-Merrick football players at a football camp last August. Having led that district for 14 years until his retirement in 2000, Bernstein called the recent events troubling, but said he may not have been able to prevent them. However, he said he would have encouraged a more open dialogue in the days and weeks after the incidents were revealed.
To ensure that a similar situation does not occur in Valley Stream, Bernstein said the district has made changes in its overnight trip policy, initiated meetings with coaches and plans to begin asking parents and students to sign contracts prior to any trips. The purpose of the contracts will be to make sure parents and students understand the consequences of inappropriate behavior.
The forum officially ended after two hours, but Bernstein stayed behind to answer more questions.
