In September of 2020 the search for a new Superintendent of Schools was conducted after the announcement of Dr. David Bennardo’s forthcoming retirement. An advertisement for the position was placed in The NY Times and Newsday on September 20th, and 22 candidates responded accordingly. Interviews were conducted on four different occasions from December through January. When the long and rigorous process concluded, the South Huntington Board of Education proudly selected Dr. Vito D’Elia as the next Superintendent of Schools.
“Dr. D’Elia has the experience, leadership skills, work ethic, vision, and moral compass to build upon the incredible success of Dr. Bennardo and continue South Huntington's upward trajectory,” said Nicholas Ciappetta, the President of South Huntington’s Board of Education, after announcing Dr. D’Elia as the next Superintendent. “During the interview process, Dr. D’Elia impressed the Board of Education with his passion to be Superintendent and understanding of the Wildcat culture. I look forward to working closely with him to reach our shared goal of making South Huntington the finest school district on Long Island.” The Vice President of the Board, Laura Carey, provided her insight into the Board’s decision saying, “We believe that he will lead our school community in the coming years with confidence, poise, and conviction.” Ms. Carey went on to say, “The members of our South Huntington Board of Education look forward to working with Dr. D’Elia as our new Superintendent of Schools.”
Dr. D’Elia is hopeful for the future of South Huntington Schools. When addressing the Board and the South Huntington community, the future Superintendent stated, "Our goal in South Huntington will be to have students become lifelong learners where every student that graduates from Walt Whitman High School will have the ability to go on and extend their knowledge. Our work will be to enable students to be college-ready, career-ready, and citizenship-ready. We will continue to work collaboratively with all members of our learning community to ensure our students are reaching their full potential."