Ida Edelman, head of Westbury Friends School, has announced that she will relinquish the position at the end of the 2007-2008 school year after serving for 12 years.

"Ida's leadership has been remarkable and transforming," said Martha Smith, clerk of the Westbury Friends School Board. Smith also indicated that an active search for a replacement is in progress.

During her tenure at the school, Edelman oversaw substantial increases in enrollment, the addition of four new classrooms and a state-of-the-art Library Media Center. She added formal programs in the computer science as well as in the traditional sciences. She spearheaded a revision of the curriculum to increase academic expectations while at the same time individualizing the instruction for each student. Much of this was made possible, Edelman says, through a greatly enhanced program of philanthropic giving. One of the major areas of giving is for scholarship monies. The Leon Rushmore scholarship fund has been established to help students who cannot afford the tuition at Westbury Friends School. The Roslyn Savings Foundation just contributed $5,000 towards that fund. Other major contributions came from the Simons Foundation as well as from the Phipps family, the Rushmore family, Friends Council on Education and from the Long Island Community Foundation.

Currently, Westbury Friends School has an enrollment of 114 students, nursery through sixth grade. It is a Quaker School, founded by Westbury Monthly Meeting in 1957, and dedicated to make independent schooling available to families representing diverse backgrounds. Last year, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Edelman has had experience in both public and private education. A baccalaureate from the University of Rochester was supplemented by advanced degrees in reading, psychology, special education and educational administration. She served in a variety of roles in both public and private education in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Prior to joining Westbury Friends School, she had been a Director of Special Education in Marlboro Township (New Jersey) for 11 years. She left that position and moved to Long Island in order to join her husband who had assumed the position as Vice President of the Health Sciences, and Dean of the School of Medicine, at Stony Brook University, a position which he also held for 12 years

In a statement regarding Edelman, the Westbury Friends School staff and faculty sad, "[We] have been privileged to work with Ida Edelman for the past 12 years. She brought professionalism, empathy and humor to her position as Head of the School. During her tenure the school doubled in size. It witnessed the creation of four new classrooms and a Library Media Center that rivals that of any elementary school on Long Island. We wish her much joy and contentment as she retires. She will be missed."

A celebration to honor Edelman's accomplishments will be held on March 6, 2008 at the Westbury Manor on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury. The search for Edelman's successor is currently under way.