Putnam Valley Principal Picked to Lead Grafflin

Putnam Valley Elementary School Principal Jamie Edelman has been selected as the next principal of Douglas G. Grafflin Elementary School, Chappaqua District Clerk Theresa Markley told Patch.

The selection is based on being recommended by the district's administration. Edelman's appointment is subject to approval of the Chappaqua school board, which is expected to take up the matter at its April 17 meeting. If approved, Edelman will start on July 1.

The news was announced to Grafflin faculty earlier on Tuesday, Markley said.

A notice about the appointment plan has been given to Grafflin parents, LoHud.com reported. A district-wide announcement is also being sent out.

Edelman was selected from a pool of more than 150 people, Superintendent Lyn McKay stated in an announcement. Her interview process went through several rounds over six weeks, including meeting with of local stakeholders (they include parents, teachers and other staff), meeting with the school board, and with McKay and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Eric Byrne. 

"Throughout the process, Jamie has impressed all with her intelligence, her warmth, her understanding of instruction, her thoughtfulness about children, and her confident leadership," McKay stated."

Edelman, who has been principal of PVES for 12 and a half years, released a statement on the Putnam Valley school district's website announcing her planned departure. Her resignation is effective on June 30.

"As this has become a time of reflection, I am reminded of so many successes and I am incredibly proud of all that has been accomplished," she stated. "The experiences I have had at PVES have helped me become a better educator, a better person and a better leader. I can’t thank you enough for that opportunity."

She added: "I will always cherish the special relationships I have made in Putnam Valley," she stated. "This town is filled with wonderful people who truly want what’s best for their children. I will miss it here."

Edelman, if approved, would succeed Mike Kirsch, who has been principal at Grafflin for 38 years out of the school's roughly 50 years of existence. Kirsch is slated to retire at the end of the school year in June.

Even though Edelman appears to have a big act to follow, McKay is confident in her ability to do so.

"It goes without saying that Jamie will face a great challenge in following Mike Kirsch, who has led Grafflin so extraordinarily well for the past 38 years," McKay stated. "I am confident, however, that Jamie is the right person to follow Mike's illustrious tenure."

A going away celebration for Kirsch is planned later this spring, according to McKay.

Prior to taking the helm at PVES, Edelman was an assistant principal at Croton-on-Hudson's Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School, and before that she spent nine years in New York City's education field as a teacher and assistant principal.

Meanwhile, the Chappaqua school district is looking for a new principal for Seven Bridges Middle School. Martha Zornow, whose planned resignation was announced last week, is leaving to become principal at a school in New York City.