After seven years as superintendent of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, Dr. Martin Brooks has announced that he will retire at the end of the school year, effective June 30.

"It has been our pleasure to work with Marty for the past several years," said board of education president Jonathan Mosenson. "He has always acted with the very best interest of our students at heart, and we thank him for his years of dedication and service to the children of Plainview-Old Bethpage."

The board of education will appoint an interim superintendent for the 2007-08 school year, as they launch an extensive search to find a permanent replacement for Dr. Brooks.

"The Plainview-Old Bethpage School District has a long record of promoting both academic excellence and the personal, social and emotional growth of our students," Mosenson said, "and we will work diligently to find the ideal candidate who shares our commitment to those goals."

Dr. Brooks will be starting his new post on July 1 as superintendent of the Ridgewood School District in New Jersey.

"I have been the superintendent at Plainview Old Bethpage since 2000 and have loved every minute of it," said Dr. Brook. "This is a wonderful community with terrific schools, magnificent staff, involved parents and great kids - all of the ingredients for a powerful school system, which is what it is. I feel I have been blessed to work here during this time."