At the February 26, 2020 Stated Meeting of the Yonkers Board of Education, the Trustees unanimously adopted Resolution 10.8 appointing Dr. Edwin M. Quezada to a new five year term as superintendent of schools. The new contract commences February 1, 2020 through January 31, 2025.

Statement from Yonkers Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez

“One of the Trustees legislated duties is to employ a superintendent of schools who will administer with fidelity the goals and policies established by the Board as well as required compliance with State Education laws and regulations. The superintendent oversees the school district’s budget and supervises all functions to deliver a safe, healthy educational environment for students and staff to thrive and achieve at high levels. As the fourth largest school district in the state, this is no easy task.

Over the past five years, our students, staff and infrastructure have undergone significant consistent progress. This is well documented and recognized in New York State and nationally. The common denominator is Dr. Quezada. Driven by equity across all aspects of teaching and learning, his compassion for children and families, coupled with his tenacious leadership, our students, educators and staff are substantially advancing because of Dr. Quezada’s work. Just last week, the publication, City and State New York distributed, The 2020 Education Power 100 - the 100 most powerful education leaders in New York State; Dr. Quezada was 11th out of 100 individuals. Therefore, to sustain this momentum and stabilize the school district for the next five years the Trustees offered and Dr. Quezada accepted a new five year contract.”

“Our Yonkers Public Schools have experienced unprecedented growth and milestone achievements due to the unrelenting commitment and leadership of our Superintendent,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “Dr. Quezada’s tenure has led to our students achieving the highest graduation rates and test scores among the Big 5 Districts. His approach to education is deliberate and progressive, all while putting our students and teachers first. Congratulations to our Board of Trustees and Superintendent on a job well done – keep up the great work!”

Yonkers Public Schools - Five Years of Improvement – 2015 to 2020

• Graduation rate at 88% -The only Large City District to graduate over 80%1 high school with a 100% on-time graduation rate, 3 with an over 90% and 3 with over 85%.  Every sub-groups outperform the Stateand Large Cities

• Dropout Rate of 3%, half the state’s average of 6%, and it has decreased by 61% since 2015

• Increased Grades 3-8 State Assessments in ELA by 5 percentage points and Math by 4 over 3 years.  Yonkers outperformed the statewide gains of 0.2 percentage points on ELA and 2.2 percentage points on Math as well as all of the Big 5 large city school districts whose gains aligned more closely to the State’s results.  Every Yonkers subgroup showed improvements on both assessments.

• Diversified Central OfficeLeadership-Assembled a central leadership team reflective of the City of Yonkers rich diversity

• Expanded Community School Model –Strong partnerships with Yonkers Police Department, Yonkers Fire Department, health and mental health institutions, vision and dental servicesand communityorganizations.

• Increased and Sustained Sports Programs-Robust Intramural Sports grades 7 & 8

-Revitalized and expandedHigh School Junior Varsity and Varsity options

• Yonkers My Brother’s Keeper is touted as a model program in New York State and has gained considerable national recognition

• Advanced Family/Guardian Engagement -New efficient Student Information System and robust Parent Portal -New Mass Notification System

• Completed 48 capital projects for $58 million over the past 2 years12 more projects are in construction for $19 millionSMART Bond capital improvements for expansions and significant renovations at 4 schools -Kahlil Gibran School, Eugenio Maria de Hostos MicroSociety School, Patricia DiChiaro School, School 30

• Increased technology opportunities for teaching and learning Yonkers is the first large district to administer districtwide Computer-based Testing for grades 3 through 8State assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics–considered a model in New York State

• Provided significant Professional Development-Next Generation Learning Standards -Technology-Addressing the needs of Multi-lingual Learners