The Board of Education has approved the promotion of Karen Tesik, Ed.D. to the position of Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services effective July 1, 2021.
“Our Department of Pupil Personnel Services has evolved in the past several years in order to keep pace with the changing needs of our students and their families. The challenges that each of our students face on a daily basis has become increasingly more complex. This change in title reflects the increased leadership responsibilities associated with ensuring that every child comes to school each day ‘ready to learn’ and we are very fortunate to have Dr. Tesik at the helm,” said Superintendent of Schools Robert Pritchard, Ed.D.
Tesik joined the South Orangetown Central School District in 2009 as principal of the South Orangetown Middle School. During her tenure, SOMS was designated in 2015, and re-designated in 2018, as a National School-to-Watch Model School for excellence in middle-level education. In April 2018, she was appointed as the Interim Director for Pupil Personnel Services and named Executive Director in July 2019. Over the past three years, Tesik has designed and developed a comprehensive model of supports and services for students which encompasses school counseling, school nursing, special education and the Family Engagement Center, which launched in October 2018.
To meet the rapidly-evolving needs of students and staff throughout the pandemic, Tesik spearheaded and oversaw a number of responsive services and innovative collaborations, including the SOCSD Food Pantry, the staff child care program at the Blauvelt Sons of Italy and the District’s COVID-19 contact tracing team.
Tesik holds a doctoral degree in executive leadership with a focus on social justice, master’s degrees in instructional technology and school administration, New York State licenses for School District Leader and 7-12 Math, and a competency certificate in assistive and adaptive technologies.
