Port Jervis School Board’s ‘new direction’ leaves Bongiovi out

The resignation of Port Jervis School Superintendent Tom Bongiovi was announced at the Tuesday night school board meeting by board president Judith Amato in a prepared statement. Amato interrupted board member Valerie Maginsky when she began a comment on Bongiovi’s departure in a fond tone.

“A joint statement was prepared, and that’s what I’m reading,” said Amato.

According to the statement, the school board “unanimously accepted the resignation” of Bongiovi at an earlier meeting on Tuesday. “Both the Board of Education and Mr. Bongiovi have agreed to mutually and amicably terminate their relationship in the best interest of the school district,” Amato read. “As you know, the mission of the district continues to progress, and in an effort to meet the goals set forth, the board has decided to take a new direction with regard to the leadership of our district.”

The board appointed Ruth Zuclich as interim superintendent of schools, with the intent of “proceeding with an immediate search process that will be thoughtfully planned and provide opportunities for input from all school community stakeholders,” Amato read. Zuclich retired two years ago as director of pupil personnel services in the district after being an educator for 35 years, according to the statement. Bongiovi had been Port Jervis High School principal when he became superintendent after John Xanthis retired in 2013.

Bongiovi’s selection as superintendent without interviewing other candidates had been a source of conflict that resurfaced at every school board election since then. At the time of his appointment, then school board member Cathy Sadaghiani defended the minimal search process, saying that, in the past, superintendents who had come from elsewhere had not stayed.

At subsequent school board candidate introduction events, candidates have always been asked their views about superintendent selection processes. At the recent school board candidate introduction, incumbent candidate William Smith contended that educational organizations advocated cultivating and hiring administrators from within. He said he had supported the recent renewal of Bongiovi’s contract two years early along with a raise. After over 20 years on the school board, Smith lost the election.

“Tom Bongiovi did a good job with board presentations and weekly updates, but he had some rough edges to work out,” said school board member Robert Witherow, a former district administrator. “Anytime you take a new position, you have to hone skills to deal with challenges you didn’t know existed. Someone who had already been a superintendent might have those skills already. A superintendent needs to say, ’I’ll confer with people, but it’s up to me to make decisions and plan where the dollar is best spent.”