Sewanhaka Superintendent Announces His Retirement

At its July 9 Reorganization Meeting, the Sewanhaka Central High School District’s Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the retirement of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ralph Ferrie. Giving one full year’s notice to find the most qualified candidate for the position, he will retire effective June 30, 2019.

Ferrie took the helm of the Sewanhaka CHSD in 2011 and, despite the imposition of the tax cap, reduction of state aid and vast changes to curriculum as a result of new Common Core Learning Standards, he has transformed the district and taken it to new levels of achievement. Under his supervision, the district successfully passed an $86 million bond, bringing much needed improvements to all five of the high schools.

During that time, Ferrie also passed an $18 million Energy Performance Contract, affecting essential upgrades and renovations, as well as the installation of a solar energy system across the district, all at a savings to the taxpayers.

In an effort to deliver more rigorous instruction and enable more students to take advantage of advanced-level classes, Ferrie also responsible brought a number of initiatives to the district. One of the most notable is the Cultural Proficiency Program which enabled Sewanhaka to become a founding member of the Long Island Consortium for Excellence and Equity. This program offers professional development training on equity, diversity and cultural responsiveness, as well as integrated advanced programs for those in grades 7 and 8 and multilingual resources for students.

“For the past seven years, I, along with an exceptional administrative team, have worked hard to meet the needs of our students academically, emotionally and culturally, as well as through athletic programs and the arts,” Ferrie said. “It has been an honor to serve the communities of Elmont, Franklin Square, Floral Park and New Hyde Park/Garden City Park in this capacity, and I have much appreciation for the students, staff, community and Board of Education in this fine district.”

“We are grateful for all Dr. Ferrie has done for our district during his time with us,” Board of Education President David Del Santo said. “He is a consummate professional, and we are sad he will be leaving, but are confident that we can find an equally impressive successor within this generous timeframe.”

Ferrie has been working on the implementation of the new Alternative School and Academic Learning Center in September. He will retire with 44 years of experience in education and was recently named a Nassau BOCES Education Partner Award recipient.

Photo courtesy Sewanhaka Central High School District