Rockville Centre school superintendent resigns after 13 months in post

The Rockville Centre school board accepted the resignation of Superintendent June Chang Wednesday night in an announcement by board president John O'Shea.

Chang took over as superintendent in July 2020.

He replaced William Johnson, who left after 34 years as schools chief in the district. Johnson had been one of Long Island's longest-serving superintendents.

"It's been a pleasure to have served Rockville Centre for the past year," Chang told the board after the announcement at their meeting Wednesday night.

Chang said he would remain as superintendent until May 2022 and help with the transition.

After the meeting Chang said leaving as superintendent was "a family decision."

O’Shea said Chang submitted his letter of resignation Aug. 11.

"He decided and sent a letter to the board," O’Shea said. "It’s for his own personal reasons. The board had no idea it was going to happen."

O’Shea said the tentative plan is to have a replacement for Chang before he leaves next spring.

In a letter on the district website and dated Aug. 17, Chang said his time as superintendent presented many challenges but the schools community overcame them.

"I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have served the RVC Schools community," Change wrote. "However, after careful consideration with my family, I have decided to pursue other opportunities. Moving forward, I wish nothing but the best for the District, and I am committed to assisting in a smooth transition."

The Rockville Centre school district has indeed faced challenges in the past year.

In July, the school board voted 3-2 against the fall return of South Side High School's girls soccer coach Jennifer Abgarian and assistant coach Chris Aloisi. The coaches led the soccer team to a Nassau County championship in April.

Upset with the board's vote, team members held a rally on July 28 across from the school. A special meeting of the BOE was held at South Side for public comment about the decision. The board did not offer an explanation on the vote. Members do not discuss personnel matters.

At Wednesday night board meeting, Chang said he advised the board to keep both coaches.

"I still stand by those recommendations," he said.

Earlier this year, state examiners, in a review of how school budgets and related documents are presented on district websites, found that Rockville Centre did not post a corrective action plan related to another audit. District officials indicated at the time that they would avoid the oversight in the future.

Chang previously has served as superintendent of the highly ranked, 4,000-student Summit district in New Jersey.