By Nicole Falco
Dr. Ronald D. Valenti, superintendent of the Central High School District, announced his resignation earlier this month, effective Aug. 31. Valenti has been the high school superintendent since August 2000.
The district is now in the process of finding a suitable replacement. Valenti assured both the Board of Education and district staff that he will make himself available during the transition process should the need arise.
Valenti cited two reasons for his decision. In a letter to Bill Stris, president of the high school board, Valenti wrote, "The acceptable 35-40 minute one-way trip [from Westchester] upon my hire, due to road construction and traffic, now stretched to an unacceptable one-hour trip. Transportation demands are ending valuable time that could be spent in our schools with students, teachers, and parents, delimiting my professional commitments as well as diminishing my capacity to give the community 100 percent plus.
"Compounding this problem, [my wife] Eileen was recently hospitalized and her ongoing chronic medical condition requires that I remain more accessible by working closer to home."
Valenti went on to say, in a phone interview, that attending school events, including plays, fairs and games became increasingly difficult, particularly during the past year.
Valenti's career as a school superintendent dates back to 1980 and will not end in Valley Stream. His next appointment was a case of opportunity meeting preparedness. He will return to the school district where his career as a superintendent began. Valenti, a Westchester resident, lives in the Blind Brook School District, and will begin a second tenure there in September. He worked in the district from 1980 to 1988.
Blind Brook contacted Valenti in June and offered him the position. According to Valenti, Blind Brook was looking for a leader who could "restore them to the level they were at years ago." Taking into consideration the commute and his wife's illness, Valenti opted to accept the offer.
"In life, timing is everything," he said.
In reflecting on the past three years, Valenti noted a number of Valley Stream's accomplishments. In particular, he pointed out an almost 10 percent increase in the number of students earning advanced Regents diplomas. In 2001, 66 percent of graduates earned an advanced Regents diploma, and 75 percent did so this year. In addition, Valenti said he was pleased with the number of students enrolled in advanced-placement courses, which allow them to earn college credits.
