Describing his first year as superintendent of schools in Garden City as very busy, Dr. Stephen Leitman says he is "very pleased and very happy" to be in Garden City and is looking forward to his second year.

Leitman, a graduate of New York University, who received his masters in administration and his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Fordham University, came to Garden City this past year after serving as superintendent in the Highland Falls/Fort Montgomery School District, located just outside the gates of West Point, for three years. Prior to that experience he served as the director of curriculum in the Mahwah Public Schools in New Jersey, and as a principal for over 16 years prior to that. Leitman also taught for approximately 10 years as an adjunct professor at Fordham University.

The move to the Garden City Schools came about for Leitman when he began looking for a larger district to work in and began researching different districts. Though he applied to other districts as well, Leitman said, "After meeting the board of education and the committee that interviewed me, I knew that this was the right place, the place I wanted to go and I feel very fortunate that I'm here."

According to Leitman he has spent much of this year getting to know the community, making an assessment of the schools, and getting an idea of what is going on in the Garden City Schools and what can be done better to improve the educational program for the students. "It is an outstanding system," said Leitman. "Our students are provided an excellent educational program but you can always look at even the best of systems and see what we can do to try to improve it and make it better for our students." In addition, the state education department has been continuously implementing its new standards and then changing the implementation, so Leitman has also been taking a look at what the Garden City Schools are doing to help the student reach the new standards.

A good majority of Leitman's first year has been spent studying the capital improvement project, which is currently going on in the district. This, according to Leitman, was his biggest challenge in his first year. "I stepped in and the project was already moving and learning about the facilities, the physical structures, and seeing what was going on with regard to that was a big part of my first year transition," said Leitman.

Although he admits the first year had its challenges, Leitman says the board of education, and both the administrative and teaching staff were very supportive and very open in examining the district's programs to see what can be improved.

Leitman said that the biggest rewards of the first year have come from his interaction with the parents, the board of education, the administrative and teaching staff, and the students. "My interaction with the students has been just wonderful and that's the part of my job that I don't ever want to let go, to be able to interact with the students. I enjoy that the most," said Leitman.

In the coming year Leitman says he would like to work on the priorities that he has set for himself and try to allocate his time in a more conscious way, to those things he thinks he needs to dedicate the time to. The superintendent noted, "Last year I tried to be available to everybody and everything and in some respects I spread myself too thin, but this year I really want to try to focus on the directions that I feel are important to make a difference in our school district and to work with the people in the school district to help improve it."

When asked how Garden City is different from other districts he has worked in, Leitman stated, "Garden City certainly has a great deal of pride and involvement in their public schools in the community which is wonderful. This district is a lot larger than Highland Falls and the challenges here are not only to work with the educational program which is extremely important, because that's what we're here about, to improve the educational program for our students, but also to look at the infrastructure of our buildings which are undergoing a renovation project right now." Leitman added that what he has found in this district is that everybody, from the parents, to the board, to the teaching and administrative staff really want what's best for the children. "As long as everybody works together, with a common goal, we will accomplish a lot and get things done," said the superintendent.

"I am very glad to be here. I'm looking forward to my second year in the school district. I've tried to be very much involved in the community and I will continue to do so," concluded Leitman. "The children's education is my number one priority and I appreciate the support of everyone in the community. They supported the budget this year and that kind of support is what will help improve the schools."