VC mourns former superintendent

- Kerry Butrick Dowling
Posted 4/5/22

The Valley Central community remembered former Superintendent Beverly Ouderkirk who died March 23, 2022 at the age of 82.

After beginning her career as a kindergarten teacher, Ouderkirk’s …

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VC mourns former superintendent

Posted

The Valley Central community remembered former Superintendent Beverly Ouderkirk who died March 23, 2022 at the age of 82.

After beginning her career as a kindergarten teacher, Ouderkirk’s career spanned fifty years in New York State public education. Ouderkirk served the Valley Central Community from 1993 through 1999. The first Valley Central Alternative Education program began under her tenure. The recipient of numerous awards, she was honored as a Woman of the Year from Leadership Orange in Orange County, Friend of the Council from NYSCOSS (New York State Council of School Superintendents), a Leadership Award from the Western New York Educational Services Council, and a Lifetime PTA Award from the Valley Central PTA Council. She also served on numerous board and clubs across New York State including the Walden Rotary.

Ouderkirk was also a frequent contributor to the Wallkill Valley Times, submitting a regular “Superintendent’s Corner” designed to keep readers updated on district events and activities and also to respond to letters from members of the Valley Central Taxpayer’s Association during contentious school budget preparation time.

“In the darkest moments of Valley Central, it was the students and their needs that made even the hardest of decisions clearer and easier,” she wrote in her farewell column on Feb. 24, 1999. “Whether it be a defeated budget, a teacher contract, a tragedy, a celebration or a bond project. For me, the answer was always more apparent when I translated the question into what was best for the kids. That didn’t always make my decisions popular, but the pain was easier to bear and the mirror was easier to face when students were the centerpiece of our efforts.”

Following her tenure at Valley Central, she was appointed Superintendent of Genessee Valley BOCES. Ouderkirk was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents on March 10, 2015.

“Over decades of dedicated service, Regent Ouderkirk’s work in public education has impacted countless children and families in immeasurable ways,” said Jolene T. DiBrango, New York State United Teachers Executive Vice President. “Her willingness to always listen to the needs of educators and her tireless support of our work on behalf of students and families will be sorely missed.”