Port Jeff Schools Get New Super

The Port Jefferson school board announced this week that on June 1, Kenneth R. Bossert will take the reigns as superintendent of schools from Max Riley who is retiring at the end of his term this year.

Kenneth Bossert, a resident of Port Jefferson, is currently the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Three Village school district. He was promoted to that position last June from his former role as director of curriculum and instruction on the elementary level at the school district.

Bossert had been with the Three Village school district for about three years. He has a doctoral degree in school district administration from Dowling College. Previously he had spent five years at the Eastport-South Manor school district as an elementary school principal.

The superintendent search was initiated earlier this year when the Port Jefferson board of education contracted with Eastern Suffolk BOCES. In January residents came out to an open meeting at hosted by two representatives from Eastern Suffolk BOCES to discuss hiring a new Superintendent for Port Jefferson School District. At the meeting Mr. Raymond Fell and Terri Sweeney explained how the search process would be conducted and asked for input from residents on what they were looking for in a new superintendent.

The board of education announced the hiring on the school district’s website earlier this week but has not put out a public statement outlining Bossert’s background.

"We haven't put one together yet, but plan to," said Mark Doyle, acting president of the school board.

Doyle did say that Bossert was enthusiastic about the job and that he had impresssed board members with his strong credentials in curriculum and instruction.

"In addition, we felt that he had the personal qualities, skill and knowledge of Port Jefferson to re-establish a sense of trust between the district and the community," Doyle said.