NYACK - Susan Yom is out as Nyack school district superintendent as of June 30. The school board, in a special meeting Friday, announced the resignation after approving a separation agreement for an unnamed employee.
Yom’s short tenure was marked with tension and controversy.
“ I am thrilled that we can finally move forward and focus on the children and staff and take our time to find the right person to lead this district into the future with care and compassion," said, Nicki Iasillo, an Upper Nyack resident and parent of two elementary age kids.
Lizzette Ruiz-Giovinazzi, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, was named acting superintendent. It's a role Ruiz-Giovinazzi took two years ago when another superintendent left prematurely.
Yom took the district’s top job on March 1, 2023. She technically replaced Eudes Budhai, who had left the Nyack post in June 2022, after just a year on the job.
James Montesano, a retired Nyack superintendent, acted as interim between their tenures.
Yom's contract was for three years, through Feb. 28, 2026. Her base annual salary was set at $255,000, according to district officials.
Details of her departure were not immediately available.
'Nyack Deserves Better' movement
The move comes after tense union negotiations and community complaints about leadership in the district.
Nyack teachers union members walked out of a March 5 board of education meeting as a demonstration of their frustration with ongoing negotiations. A no-confidence statement in Yom was also sent to the board by the leaders of the Nyack Administrators Association, Nyack Teachers Associations, School Related Professionals, Nyack Association of Educational Secretaries and Nyack Professional Security Personnel.
Black-and-red signs reading “Nyack Deserves Better” cropped up throughout the district, which encompasses the Clarkstown hamlets of Valley Cottage, Upper Nyack and Central Nyack and Orangetown’s village of Nyack and an unincorporated section of town, including the hamlet of South Nyack.
Nyack Teachers Association and School Related Professionals contracts were approved by the board Friday.
The Yom file
Yom came to Nyack from Clarkstown Central School District, where she was assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
She led that district’s strategic planning process, implemented a K-12 Social/Emotional Learning program, and managed certain grants and professional development initiatives.
Prior to that, she worked in the New Rochelle school district.
Yom holds master's of education degrees from both Columbia University Teachers College and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She was pursuing a doctorate at Harvard.
In a statement to the school community, Yom said: "The unwavering dedication of our staff and the boundless potential of our students have made this an unforgettable chapter in my career."
2 years, 3 district leaders
Upon hiring both Budhai and Yom, school board officials lauded them for their work on equity.
About 32% of the district's 2,724 students attending Nyack schools in the 2022-2023 academic were Hispanic and/or Latino and 14% were Black and African-American; 40% were white, according to state Education Department data. About 36% of students in the district were considered economically disadvantaged.
When Budhai resigned after one year on the job, he was amid a four-year contract with a base salary of $265,000.
According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request, Budhai walked away with a $205,625 lump-sum payment, minus any taxes and deductions, plus a $45,000 contribution from the district into Budhai’s 403(b) retirement annuity. He also received compensation for any unused vacation days.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Nyack schools Superintendent Susan Yom out after short, controversial tenure
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