SPRING VALLEY – East Ramapo’s new superintendent is set to start Wednesday, July 8, after the school board was able to finally make the official appointment.
Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez was appointed by the East Ramapo school board at its July 7 meeting.
The announcement comes after the district had to appoint a third interim superintendent in as many years as contract talks continued, and after state-appointed monitors rejected the board’s earlier super pick.
Torres-Rodriguez would be the first permanent superintendent in the district in two years.
Torres-Rodriguez was superintendent and CEO of Hartford, Connecticut, school district, a district with about 15,000 students; 56% of students are Hispanic or Latino and about a quarter are English-language learners.
East Ramapo school board President Shimon Rose said Torres-Rodriguez “brings the kind of energy, expertise and compassion that will serve our students, staff and community well. We’re excited to welcome her and eager to work with her as she gets to know East Ramapo.”
The contract approved for Torres-Rodriguez runs through July 7, 2029.
Her annual base salary for the three-year contract is $347,000, according to district data.
What to know about Torres-Rodriguez
District officials touted Torres-Rodriguez for making key changes in Hartford.
Among educational and community efforts during Torres-Rodriguez’s tenure in Hartford: an expansion in the number of “full-service community schools” that connect students and families to wraparound supports like counseling, food assistance and health services alongside academics.
Honors include the 2022 National Latino Superintendent of the Year award by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents; the Equity Warrior Award at the 2023 When Women Lead Summit; and 2024 Educational Leadership honoree at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Torres-Rodriguez is a lecturer in education studies at Yale University.
“I’m looking forward to spending time throughout the district, listening closely to every voice – the ones that have had a seat at the table, and the ones still finding theirs – and working alongside educators, public and private school students, families and communities of East Ramapo to build something that we can all be proud of,” Torres-Rodriguez said in a statement.
A tough district to lead
East Ramapo is a complex district to run.
The majority of some 10,000 public-school students being English-language learners, and a history in the district of low test scores and high rates of chronic absenteeism.
Another 35,000 kids who live within the greater Spring Valley boundaries of East Ramapo attend private schools, mostly yeshivas that serve a growing Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish population.
This unusual structure adds to the district’s complexity; for example, East Ramapo operates the largest and most complex school transportation system in the state outside of New York City.
It can also lead to community tensions. Public-school activists have long expressed concern that the majority of board members are more invested in serving private school families’ needs, saying Black and Brown public-school kids aren’t prioritized.
It’s been under state monitorship for more than a decade now. The monitors have more powers than any other in New York districts, including the power to scrap a board vote and proposed budget, and even a superintendent pick.
Hurdles to filling leadership post
The monitors exercised their power over a superintendent pick in March of this year. The board had unanimously chosen a superintendent, but state-appointed monitors rejected the choice.
The board launched legal action, called an Article 78, against the monitors and state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, challenging the rejection, but it failed.
With interim Superintendent Ana Reluzco leaving on June 30, the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, the board had to name a third interim superintendent in as many years as negotiations continued with Torres-Rodriguez.
At a June 24 special meeting, the board named Eric Stark, the current assistant superintendent of business, as interim superintendent of schools starting July 1, which is the start of the new academic year.
Stark now goes back to his previous role.
The last permanent superintendent, Clarence Ellis, left in 2024 after the board declined to renew his contract after three years.
Nancy Cutler covers People & Policy. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: East Ramapo names new superintendent. See contract details, more
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
