Irvington School Board Names New Superintendent

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Irvington's new Superintendent greets families following her appointment

May 15, 2024

By Barrett Seaman–

At a special meeting of the Board of Education on Wednesday, May 15, Dr. Mara Ratesic was appointed Superintendent of the Irvington Union Free School District, succeeding Dr. Kristopher Harrison, who took leave for medical reasons in 2023 and formally retired last February .

Dr. Harrison’s interim replacement was Dr. Joel Adelberg, who assumed the Superintendent’s role last summer.

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Dr. Ratesic (pronounced RaTESSic) comes to Irvington from Bronxville, where she was the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Bronxville School system. This year is her 25^thyear in public school education. Prior to Bronxville, she was the Principal of PS #77, a New York City Public School. She began her teaching career in Maryland, where she taught elementary school.

Dr. Ratesic was born and raised in Pittsburgh. Her father, John Ratesic, was a high school principal and English teacher. She now lives in New York City with her 15-year-old daughter, Alexandra

She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her two Master’s degrees respectively from Columbia University in curriculum and instruction and George Mason University in educational leadership. She obtained a Doctorate of Education degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration on multicultural education at Columbia Teachers College.

In the brief appointment ceremony at the high school, board chair Brian Friedman said Dr. Ratesic “exemplifies the qualities identified by our community” in surveys taken before the search got underway. Dr. Ratesic, who invariably introduced herself as “Mara,” professed in her prepared remarks that “from the moment I began researching the district, I thought it was a good match.” She quoted an old New York Times story in which Irvington was described as “the kind of place where you sneeze and fifty people say ‘Bless you.’”

The search to replace Dr. Harrison began in earnest in mid-February. The committee read more than 50 resumes and conducted in-depth interviews with half a dozen before selecting Dr. Ratesic. She takes office officially on July 1st.

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