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RYE, N.Y. - The Rye City School District introduced new Superintendent Frank Alvarez with a special board meeting followed by a meet and greet with the community on Tuesday evening.
The district announced last Thursday that Alvarez, who served as a superintendent for 18 years in New Jersey, would replace longtime Superintendent Ed Shine, who will retire in June. Shine, who did not attend because of a death in his family, has been the superintendent for 16 years.
The evening was the first in a series of events that will both welcome Alvarez and honor Shine, said Board of Education President Laura Slack.
"This school district has a longstanding tradition of having superintendents be with us for a long time, come to us with experience and change our school district," Slack said. "There will be a lot of time for us to honor Dr. Shine and his many contributions to this district. Tonight we look forward to the next tenure of Dr. Alvarez."
Slack said she was proud of the confidential selection process, which used community focus groups and an independent search firm to identify and locate the ideal candidate.
Alvarez, who Slack described as an instrumental leader, spoke about the importance of curriculum in his style of leadership.
"The good news is that I'm a curriculum guy, the bad news is that I'm a curriculum guy," Alvarez said. "So I'm going to be around the schools a lot, and you're going to see me in and out of classrooms. So I'm going to know you and you're going to know me."
Alvarez said he was excited to be a part of a district such as Rye and is committed to continuing Shine's work.
"It really is an honor and my privilege to serve you," Alvarez said. "This was the only district that I applied to, and I selected you and I'm happy you selected me. This a great place, and I'm thrilled to be here."
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