By:Hector Flores
The announcement came during a recent North Bellmore School Board meeting at the Martin Avenue School.
Parla said his departure is part of a natural progression in his career. He said the North Bellmore School District serves children from kindergarten to sixth grade, whereas the Island Trees School District takes in children from all grades.
"Now I have the opportunity to work with children, teachers, parents and administrators in a system that is kindergarten to 12th grade," he said. "The Island Trees School District is slightly larger than the North Bellmore School District, with 2,800 children. The district has two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school, and running this kind of district is something I've wanted to do in my career and look forward to."
Dan DeLilla, president of the North Bellmore Board of Education, praised Parla for his years of service as superintendent and said that much was accomplished during his tenure. "Our educational community has benefited from his hard work and dedication," said DeLilla. "I have enjoyed working with him, and I wish him well in his new position."
Under Parla's leadership, some of the district's accomplishments included:
¥Implementation of full-day kindergarten.
¥Creation of a state-of-the-art technology program.
¥Improvements in students' academic achievements.
Last month, New York state recognized two North Bellmore schools, Saw Mill Road and Jacob Gunther, among the 200 schools whose fourth-grade classes made dramatic improvements on the state's English Language Arts exam. In addition, Jacob Gunther's fourth-graders were also noted as having made significant gains in state math scores.
The improved academics were credited to the district's revised curriculum, which provides for the retraining of teachers to meet new state standards and extra classroom instruction.
Parla's most notable accomplishment, however, was the reopening of the Martin Avenue School after 23 years. During those years, the district didn't need the school because enrollment was lower, and so the district rented it out. Recently, however, enrollment started to climb, and the school was once again needed.
"Our Martin Avenue School had been closed years ago," said Marilyn Gallagher, president of the North Bellmore Teacher's Association. "It needed to be reopened, and Mr. Parla accomplished that three years ago, on time and within the budget. He staffed the school with enthusiastic teachers who wanted to be there, and he opened Martin Avenue with much joy and festivity."
Mark Wiener, the Martin Avenue School principal, said that Parla was an inspiring leader with a great educational vision. "I have worked for Mr. Parla for the last three years," he said. "It was great to have had a part in the reopening of the Martin Avenue School under his leadership, and I was incredibly impressed by the scope of his leadership, curriculum, education, business and human relations."
Nancy Kaufman, co-president of the Dinkelmeyer School Parent Teacher Association, appreciated Parla's ability to interact with educators and parents. "He was definitely an asset to the school district," said Kaufman. "Being a parent himself, he knew how to deal with other parents and had an open-door policy. When my child was in kindergarten [before Parla became superintendent], I felt intimidated by teachers, principal and the superintendent. But Mr. Parla was warm and approachable to parents and children. I'm going to miss him tremendously."
Parla is quick to point out that none of his accomplishments would have been possible without the help of parents, teachers, administrators, board members and the community. "I think North Bellmore was a wonderful experience, and we accomplished so much," the superintendent said. "We have had a wonderful working relationship with all the collective bargaining units [teachers, custodians and secretaries]. Parents have been great partners, and the community has been, overall, greatly supportive.
"I'm going to miss North Bellmore tremendously," he continued, "and the district will always be dear to my heart. I look forward to my new challenge at Island Trees, which is a wonderful school district and community."
The North Bellmore School District has contracted with a search firm called SCOPE to help find a replacement for Parla, whose last day as the North Bellmore superintendent is June 30.
