Assistant Super to Depart for New District June 1

Dr. Ken Bossert, who has served as Three Village's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for close to a year, will begin his new post as superintendent of the Port Jefferson School District on June 1.

Bossert said that start date was chosen so as not to disrupt the New York State assessments for grades three through eight, which run through next week and then require a significant amount of time for scoring.

"We wanted to make sure that the transition could take place following the NYS assessments," he said. "I would not have felt comfortable leaving during a testing cycle. ... It's a very busy time of year."

Bossert's position won't be replaced as part of a reorganization of the central administration which resulted in a $200,000 savings in next year's proposed school budget. According to interim superintendent Neil Lederer, the district has eliminated two assistant superintendent positions, and will be redistributing Bossert's responsibilities between two other administrators: Cheryl Pedisich, assistant superintendent for educational and pupil personnel services, and Dr. Anne Rullan, executive director for curriculum development.

The other administrative position being eliminated is that of assistant superintendent for human resources, a position currently held by Ed Sallie, an interim administrator whose contract expires August 31. Lederer said a search is being conducted for an individual who would eventually take over in the role of a human resources director rather than as an assistant superintendent – a position which Bossert said he was considering before his appointment in Port Jefferson was announced.

Lederer said while Bossert's departure created an opportune time to restructure the administration, he will be missed when he takes over the reigns from retiring Port Jeff superintendent Max Riley.

"I think Port Jefferson has got a good person," Lederer said. "He's a good administrator, extremely bright and well spoken. We will miss his work ethic, his conscientiousness and dedication, his insights into effective teaching."

Bossert was in June of 2010 following a 6-0 vote by the school board. His contract included a salary of $160,000 and a three-year probationary period. The position was a new one, the intial creation of which was not unanimously supported by the school board. Some within the district disagreed with the decision to create an additional administrative position during a time of economic constriction.

Claudia Reinhart, president of the Three Village Teachers Association, called tat appointment bad timing because the district and the teachers' union at the time had just completed a contract renegotiation which resulted in givebacks of close to $3 million over two years.

"You can't renegotiate with the teachers and then hire a new assistant superintendent," she said in a recent interview. "The parents were upset, the PTAs were upset. It had nothing to do with Dr. Bossert, whom we thought very highly of."

Bossert, 38, is a Port Jefferson resident himself, and said in an interview Friday he is looking forward to the challenges of leading the Port Jefferson district, which is facing the prospect of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue as a result of the LIPA reassessment proceedings. He acknowledged that issue was a big focus of the superintendent search there.

"The problem will be solved by collaborating with local government and village leaders, different stakeholder groups in the community and the organization," Bossert said. "There's no simple solution to the problem that we're faced with."

The lasted several months, a process which included input from both educators and residents.

"We felt that he had the personal qualities, skill and knowledge of Port Jefferson to re-establish a sense of trust between the district and the community," Mark Doyle, acting president of the Port Jeff school board, .