Kings Park superintendent retiring in July
Susan Agruso in front of Brookhaven Elementary, when she was superintendent of South Country School District. (Jan. 8, 2008) Credit: James Carbone
Kings Park schools Superintendent Susan Agruso has announced she will retire at the end of July.
"It has been a privilege for me to serve as your superintendent for the last six years," Agruso, 62, said Tuesday in a statement. "Kings Park will always have a special place in my heart. Our district is blessed with a caring community, a dedicated staff and wonderful students. I will miss you."
In an interview, Agruso said she plans to travel and one day work again, adding that she has "a few options."
Agruso's contract ends in June 2015, but her early departure helps her keep a promise she made to her husband to retire this year.
Agruso joined Kings Park in 2008, after serving as superintendent of Brookhaven's South Country School district for two years. She began her career as a physics and earth science teacher at East Islip High School and went on to work for the state Education Department in Albany.
Last year, Agruso fielded concerns from parents over the district's stance on the Common Core curriculum, and joined several Suffolk districts in sending a letter to state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. urging the state to stop over-testing and to rethink teacher and principal evaluations.
But her tenure in Kings Park was not without occasional controversy. In January 2012, the former school board voted 3-2 to approve extending Agruso's contract to June 2015. Then-board member Steve Weber said at the time that he opposed the extension because the board had not done a formal evaluation of Agruso that year.
In a statement, the four-member Kings Park Board of Education thanked Agruso for her service and said "we are a stronger and better school district because of her efforts."
