Garden City Hires New Director For Pupil Personnel Services

GARDEN CITY, NY — The Garden City School District welcomes Desirée Clemente as the new assistant director for Pupil Personnel Services. Clemente brings 17 years of experience as an educator and administrator for students with special needs.

“We are happy to welcome Ms. Clemente to the Garden City School District team,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha. “Her experience in curriculum development and supervision in the area of special education are invaluable to our mission to ensure every child realizes their full potential.”

Clemente, a Rockville Centre resident, previously held the position of special education department head at Great Neck North Middle School, where she supervised the building’s special education teachers, teaching assistants and paraprofessionals, overseeing more than 160 students receiving special education services. Among her responsibilities, she led observations of all special education teachers and speech pathologists and provided professional development in Committee on Special Education policy, Least Restrictive Environment and Response to Intervention.

Prior to Great Neck, Clemente was the assistant director of Pupil Personnel Services for the Wantagh School District, where she oversaw special education programming and special education teachers, support staff and nurses in all five district buildings, ranging from grades K-12. She also co-created an English language arts integrated co-teaching curriculum for sixth and seventh graders and constructed master teacher aide schedules and hiring.

Clemente previously served as a middle school special education teacher in the Glen Cove and New York City schools districts. During her time in Glen Cove, she was selected to serve on a committee to create small interventions to help struggling students succeed, both in the classroom and in the community.

In May the district appointed Janine Villez as the director of Pupil Personnel Services.

“The Garden City Public School’s mission to inspire minds, empower achievement and build community is aligned to the core values that I embrace, and that I envision, as central components of all education, but even more so for the education of students with special needs,” Clemente said. “I look forward to working alongside the team to continue the great work of the district. I am eager to meet the students, staff, parents, and hope to have an opportunity to introduce myself to community members in the future.”