NEW PALTZ – The New Paltz Board of Education has appointed a Schroon Lake man as its new superintendent of schools.
An educator since 1994, Stephen Gratto currently serves as superintendent of the Schroon Lake Central School District with less than 300 students, a position he has held since 2015.
His contract with New Paltz is for 3 ½ years with a starting salary of $207,000.
Prior to becoming an administrator, he was a physics/science teacher.
Gratto said he is driven to be involved in community engagement and partnership to enrich and expand student opportunities. “I look forward to working with a larger community, and a larger school which has opportunities that a smaller school does not.”
He said he is especially proud of his communication and rapport with his school community. He said creating or attending community events, availing the school buildings for community use, developing a robust continuing education program through collaborative efforts, and even serving as a substitute bus driver during the pandemic all helped to build bridges between the district and the community.
New Paltz School Board President Johanna Herget said Gratto’s “track record is solid.” She said the board liked “his consistency and appreciate his natural trajectory of being an engineer, then a teacher, then a principal, and how he remained in each post for a significant time,” she said.
