Twenty-plus years as an educator, first as a grade school teacher in Maryland followed by nearly 15 years as a district level administrator in New York, created the pathway to Mara Ratesic‘s new role as the superintendent of the Irvington school district.
Since taking the helm in July, the Pittsburgh native has held more than 40 interviews with individuals, board of education members, district administrators and groups of faculty members and classroom aides as she learns about the district and its people.
“It’s been a real pleasure,” Ratesic said during an interview with River Journal in her office last month. “Typically, superintendents create an entry plan that lasts almost the full year. It’s like an archeologist digging around trying to figure out where this district has been, where it is now and where it’s going to go.
“I tell the board of education when they ask me how’s it going, I say ‘I’m having a ball.’ I was very fortunate to land here. I feel very grateful and I’m looking forward to many years of taking what is a very good and solid school system to its next level.”
The district has approximately 1,700 students in four schools: Dows Lane Elementary; Main Street School; Irvington Middle School and Irvington High School. The 2024-25 district budget is $76.09 million. The superintendent’s salary is $291,242, according to the state Education Department’s database.
Ratesic came to Irvington from the Bronxville school district where she served as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Before that she was principal of PS #77 on the Upper East Side.
Ratesic earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her master’s degrees from Columbia University in curriculum and instruction and George Mason University in educational leadership. She obtained her doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction with a concentration on multicultural education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Part of her mission as a new superintendent is to share her ideas while listening to others.
“I have worked in establishing a vision and mission for a district in Bronxville, and it was very rewarding,” Ratesic said.” It does take a while because part of it is maybe a little bit of a culture shift.
“Some of it has already been happening here in Irvington and now we expand that work. I love that everybody gets to feel ownership. What’s most important for a school system is for everyone to feel they are part of it.
“When students are nearing the end of their experience and can talk about what helped them, it’s very gratifying for the teachers and staff to hear we are sending adults out into the world who are effective communicators and citizens.”
One of Ratesic’s tasks is to assure the district is offering a rigorous education and the opportunity for all students to participate in rigorous coursework, particularly in the high school.
The district is adding a high school course from the College Board called AP research. It’s a skills based course where students research various social science topics like human rights and learn how to apply those research skills in their learning.
Ratesic also will examine the way the school day is structured, particularly across the middle and high school. “Are there better ways to use the time we have with students. Our high school principal says you buy the house but you can set the rooms up any way you want.”
She will seek more opportunities for project-based work across different disciplines, particularly in the upper grades, to allow teachers to work cooperatively. For example, a social studies teacher could work with an English teacher to think about the rhetoric used in various political speeches being studied.
Adding more coding skills throughout the grades is another goal, all the way down to the lower grades. “When you teach code to very young children you often do an unplugged activity moving things around on a paper to learn how you sequence things in order to make something.”
Another priority is building on the district’s multi-tiered system of support in the special education program that strives to see that students who need assistance in accessing the curriculum get that assistance.
The VIP program for students on a vocational track helps them learn life skills. And the director of athletics created an opportunity for students who don’t typically get the chance to play sports with other team members.
“I’d also like to capitalize on some of the local partnerships and resources,” Ratesic said. “We do have some internship based programs here but we’d like to extend those opportunities, particularly in STEAM areas.”
Her first six months in Irvington have shown Ratesic that there are many community assets working with the district to give village students an all-round education to prepare them for the rest of their lives.
“I’m very lucky, I have a great community. I have the Irvington Educational Foundation, the Irvington PTSA and the Irvington Bulldog Booster Club who are very supportive, in addition to the board of education. I have a great slate of administrators and a lot of talented teachers here.”
