Longtime Rockville Centre principal retires

Joan Waldman submits resignation after months on administrative leave

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Joan Waldman has officially cut ties with the Rockville Centre School District. The former principal of Floyd B. Watson Elementary School submitted her resignation for retirement purposes this week, after five months on administrative leave. Waldman was relieved of her duties in September for undisclosed reasons, and a contractual settlement was reached earlier this month.

“Mrs. Waldman has submitted her resignation for purposes of retirement, and we have accepted it,” Superintendent Dr. William H. Johnson said. “What we need to do now is take a look at her replacement, which we intend to do immediately.”

The announcement was made at the Feb. 25 Board of Education meeting, and attendees were also informed that Jennifer Pascarella’s official position has changed from acting to interim principal of Watson for the remainder of the school year. The district will now go through the process of permanently filling the position, and Pascarella, who was assistant principal at South Side Middle School for 12 years before becoming acting principal at Watson last October, is hoping to keep the job.

“I’m very embedded in the Watson community, with the students, parents and staff,” she said, “and I hope to continue.”

Johnson said that the district would seek candidates through March 15 before beginning the interviewing process, and hoped to appoint someone by mid-April, with a July 1 start date. “We are very anxious to move forward with this,” he said. “We have made a commitment to the community early on in the school year that we will follow the same procedure that we utilized to replace the principals at Wilson and Riverside recently, and that’s what we intend to do.”

Waldman was a teacher at Morris, Watson and Covert elementary schools before becoming a principal. She earned a master’s degree in special education from Hofstra University, where she is on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Education. She is also a past president of the South Shore Administrators Association. 

“After a distinguished 30-year career in education, the last 20 years as a school principal, Joan is retiring to spend more time with her family and on community activities,” Katherine Heaviside, Waldman’s spokeswoman, said.

According to her Hofstra biography, Waldman “has been an avid supporter of Hofstra’s education students, providing countless opportunities for student teachers for over 15 years. Her philosophy is to offer a solid, firm foundation for these new teachers. She holds high expectations and directs them so they can continue on to become life-long learners committed to excellence in education.” 

In 2013, the Rockville Centre Education Foundation honored Waldman with the Ruth Fins Memorial Award. She received the award at the organization’s annual gala, at the Madison Theatre at Molloy College, alongside another gala honoree, Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin.