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082302 Many changes, new faces at the top
Finally, Robyn Lane, team leader at West Patent, has assumed leadership at that school, following the resignation of the previous principal earlier in the summer.
By Dr. Bruce L Dennis, Superintendent of Schools
The start of every new school year brings excitement and change, and things will be no different in the Bedford Central School District this fall. In addition to over 40 new teachers whom we'll be welcoming to our district, we will have a number of new faces at the highest level of district and building leadership as well.
Linda Schluter, Bedford's new assistant superintendent for special education and pupil services, began her work in July, and already has met with many special education parents, children, and faculty.
New principals have taken the helm at three of our five elementary schools. Eric Byrne, previously the principal of PS. 183 in Manhattan's District 2, has taken over at Pound Ridge Elementary School. Susan Messina, the former assistant principal at Springhurst Elementary School in Dobbs Ferry, is now in the top leadership role at Mount Kisco Elementary School.
Finally, Robyn Lane, team leader at West Patent, has assumed leadership at that school, following the resignation of the previous principal earlier in the summer.
In addition to the above changes, Dr. David Abbey, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, has recently accepted a similar position in New Canaan, Conn., where he had served as high school principal before coming to Bedford five years ago. A search is currently under way for his replacement, and I anticipate a new person will assume this key leadership role on or before Nov. 1.
The summer has been characterized by lots of other activity besides these personnel changes. Ground has already been broken for bleacher seating on the Fox Lane High School athletic field, part of a privately funded community effort to memorialize those lost on Sept. 11. In fact, we currently plan to dedicate those stands on Sept. 11, 2002. This is part of an exciting community-driven project about which residents will be hearing much more as the year unfolds. The district's Construction
Committee has been meeting regularly throughout the summer to work with our architects and construction manager on our building plans emerging from last January's successful bond referendum. Those meetings will be continuing throughout the school year, and the board and administration will be reporting to the community on our progress regularly once school opens. Development of detailed plans and drawings are on schedule at Mount Kisco and Pound Ridge elementary schools, the first buildings to undergo work according to our construction timetable.
Throughout the summer, over a hundred teachers have been involved in curriculum development projects from grades K-12, in all subject and content areas. Computer labs at Pound Ridge and West Patent were rewired; new servers were installed at Bedford Village, Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge and West Patent; new computers were set up and configured with district software at Mount Kisco and Bedford Village; the middle school received a 150 new computers and a new server; and 86 new computers were installed at the high school, along with rewiring and reconfiguration work in that building. All of this has been accomplished as part of the district's technology plan, which also has included new servers in the central office for new financial programs and software, as well as some new computer technology in administrative offices throughout the district.
Our summer academy (SUMMER SCHOOL) just completed another successful season, providing instructional services to over 300 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. District administrators will be participating in a three-day summer administrative workshop prior to the opening of school, and teachers have already begun to get their classrooms set up for the children's arrival. Custodians are also readying the building for students, stripping and waxing floors, cleaning furniture, doing painting and repairs, and putting the buildings in top shape for the start of school in a few weeks. We look forward to welcoming new and returning students and their families on Wednesday, Sept. 4