Port Jeff Schools Name New Superintendent

From Port Jeff Schools: After a comprehensive search and selection process led by the Port Jefferson School District Board of Education, the board announced the appointment of JessicaSchmettan as superintendent of schools at the April 9 board of education meeting. She will take the leadership reins on Nov. 1.

Schmettan, who currently serves as the assistant superintendent forcurriculum and instruction in the district, has a background that includes 19 yearsin public school K-12 education and additional experience in training andsupervising educational programs and staff as well as budget managementexperience at the administration level.Since joining the district in 2016, she has worked closely with currentSuperintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Casciano on the development of the district’s vision, goals and action plan. Her responsibilities are comprehensive and range from the administration of the districtwide instructional program in conjunction with administrators and instructional staff to serving on the district wellness, technology, Academic Intervention Services and professional development committees and as a liaison to the Board of Education Curriculum Committee. Before joining the Port Jefferson School District, Schmettan served for three years as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at the elementary level in the Sachem Central School District, moving up from an administrative assistant for instructional support and programming position. Prior to that, she was the district literacy coordinator for the five elementary schools in the Three Village Central School District where among many responsibilities, she helped to align New York State Standards with the district’s curriculum. She was also a teacher in grades third and fifth at Arrowhead Elementary School in Setauket as well as an elementary special education teacher in the Roosevelt Union Free School where she wrote Individual Education Plans on the kindergarten and fifth and sixth grade levels.

“There were other strong candidates and the Board [of Education] was committed to selecting the best candidate that we could for Port Jefferson, and I am confident that we have done that,” Board of Education President Kathleen Brennan said. “I am very happy that Mrs. Schmettan is our leader going forward.” Schmettan, a resident of Port Jefferson, received certification in school district administration from the College of New Rochelle. She also holds a Master of Science in instructional technology from the New York Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in special education from Long Island University. Her professional affiliations include serving as a reviewer for Routledge Publishing’s K-12 resource Eye on Education, a professional development instructor for the New York Center for Teacher Development and a member of Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. “Like many of our residents, our schools are the reason my husband and I moved here nine years ago,” Schmettan said. “I am so grateful to be able to serve in the place that I call home. As a parent, a taxpayer and an educator, I am deeply invested in our school community. I value our history and, even with the challenges ahead, I look forward to an incredible future.”