Pelham Schools Chief Resigning

PELHAM, NY — Dr. Peter Giarrizzo has announced his intent to resign as superintendent of the Pelham Public Schools effective Aug. 16, 2017 and accept a position as superintendent of the North Shore Central School District on Long Island.

The Board expects to officially accept Dr. Giarrizzo’s resignation at its next board meeting on Feb. 28.

Here's the rest of the board members' message to the community:

Although we are very saddened by this news, we are grateful to Dr. Giarrizzo for his hard work and strong leadership during his six years with the District, four of which he served as superintendent. His vision, and the dedication of our teachers, staff and administration, has helped make Pelham one of the highest achieving districts in the state and the nation. As a result of these efforts, we are well positioned to carry on our tradition of academic excellence for all students.

The Board is committed to ensuring stability and leadership during this transition period. We will work closely with Dr. Giarrizzo throughout the remainder of his tenure and we are confident that our experienced and professional leadership team, including Dr. Steven M. Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Personnel, Rosemary G. Matthews, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services, and Linda Purvis, Interim Superintendent for Business, will continue to make progress toward achieving the goals of our strategic plan while maintaining the high level of teaching and learning that the community expects and deserves.

The search for a new superintendent is the most important task charged to the Board of Education and we are committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive search for our new superintendent. That process will begin immediately with the selection of a specialized firm to help recruit qualified candidates. In the coming weeks, the Board will share more details regarding the search process and we look forward to engaging parents, teachers, students and community members to ensure that we find a candidate who matches the strengths and values desired by our community. It is essential that the Board hires the right candidate for our community, regardless of how long such a process may take. To that end, the Board is prepared to appoint an interim superintendent if the search extends beyond the start of the next school year.

We look forward to working together with the community and the District as we pave the way for Pelham’s next chapter. Dr. Giarrizzo will be communicating with you shortly and we hope you will join us in wishing him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

Thank you as always for your support.