At the March board of education meeting the Superintendent of Plainedge Schools, Gene Grasso announced his intention to retire from the school district as of July 1 of this year.

Grasso has worked in the Plainedge School District for the past 11 years. He has served as assistant superintendent for business, deputy superintendent, and for the past two years as superintendent of the district.

When asked why he chose now to retire, when he still has several years left on his contract Grasso responded, "Because I'm at retirement age. There are professional and personal issues that come up when we go to retire and I guess at this point in my life I'm not willing to share those." Grasso said that he would like to pursue other personal and professional endeavors of his choosing when he leaves the district.

Grasso has been very active in working with the district on the Strategic Plan, the process of shared decision making, over the last six years and he said that is what he feels was his biggest accomplishment in his time at Plainedge. This is a program, Grasso believes, that will be continued by the board and the community even after he leaves.

The Plainedge Board of Education immediately began the process of finding a new superintendent. They hope to have a new leader in place for the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year and have hired Richard Lerer Educational Consultants to conduct the search.

Dr. Lerer began the search process with a three hour meeting with the board of education. At that meeting the board identified the issues and challenges facing the district and discussed long-range planning priorities. The board also spoke with Lerer about the personal traits and characteristics they think are necessary for the new superintendent.

Following the meeting with the board of education, Lerer met with district administrators, student leaders, leaders of all the employee groups in the district, PTA leaders, parents and community members.

The search consultants have begun advertising in major newspapers and educational journals and have sent a brochure announcing the vacancy to 1,200 agencies and school districts throughout the metropolitan area. The deadline for applications is April 23 and then Lerer will screen prospective candidates, conduct reference checks, and conduct preliminary interviews. He will then present the final candidates to the board. The board expects to interview six to eight candidates in May and one to two finalists during the first week of June. The board of education hopes to be able to make its final selection before school ends in June.

The board has stated, "Hiring a superintendent of schools is one of the most important tasks of a board of education. All of us are committed to directing our total energies and experience to this process." They plan to keep the community informed about the progress they are making on the search.

As the board looks for his replacement Grasso reflects on his career, "I'm in my 31st year of education in the New York State Public School system and I'm very pleased with my choice to go into public education. We go in with the idea that we want to make a difference and I feel I have so I have no regrets and I'm very, very pleased with my choice."

The board has worked closely with Grasso over the last 11 years and stated, "The board of education is grateful to Mr. Grasso for his contributions to this district, and we wish him a rewarding and happy retirement."