Current Pascack Valley Regional High School district Superintendent Erik Gundersen is set to be approved as Suffern Central’s Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1, 2021, according to the Suffern Central School District Board of Education meeting agenda last night.

Gundersen is accepting a four-year contract, ending on June 30, 2025, according to the agenda.

The PV Student Publication have reached out to Gundersen and are awaiting comment.

In an email sent to the entire district this morning, Gundersen confirmed his resignation from the PVRHSD in conjunction with accepting the position at Suffern Central.

“My journey in the Pascack Valley Regional High School District is coming to an end after serving the last ten years as your superintendent,” Gundersen said in the email. “I am excited to share that I have accepted the offer to serve the Suffern Central School District as their new superintendent, beginning July 1, 2021.”

He went on to thank his colleagues, expressing his gratitude for his time in the district.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunity to work alongside an unparalleled team of educators and staff as we have made impactful improvements to our programming, curriculum, facilities, and community,” Gundersen wrote. “I will certainly miss working with the Pascack team, but am confident that Pascack has the talent, tools, knowledge, and drive to continue the district’s successful path forward.”

Becoming the Superintendent of the PVRHSD in 2011, Gundersen started his “journey” in the district long before, working in the district for a total of 27 years. Before becoming district Superintendent he was Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment from 2009 to 2011, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Gundersen reflected on the beginning of his career in the district, mentioning the supporting manner in which he was welcomed into the fold by his colleagues.

“As a twenty-two year old physics teacher, I was welcomed into the teaching profession by mentors who supported and challenged me to constantly reflect, refine, and improve as an educator,” Gundersen wrote.

In the email, Gundersen looked back on what he was able to accomplish as a member of the PVRHSD, especially when it came to the district’s “willingness to take calculated risks to improve student outcomes.” He specifically cited the creation of virtual days long before the pandemic, the development of the “Pascack Schedule”, and the use of the internship program.

Gundersen finished off the email with closing remarks towards the district and his colleagues.

“I look forward to learning how the district continues to embrace all students and strives to make them feel welcomed, challenged, and supported, just as you have made me feel welcomed, challenged, and supported these last twenty-seven years,” Gundersen wrote.