On May 18, 2022, at the meeting of the South Country Central School District Board of Education, the board appointed Antonio Santana as its next superintendent of schools. To facilitate a seamless transition of leadership, Santana joined the district on July 1 as assistant to the superintendent and worked closely with his predecessor, the former superintendent of schools Dr. Joseph Giani, before his retirement, with Santana taking the helm on July 30.

Santana is a veteran educator with more than 23 years of experience under his belt. He joins South Country from Glen Cove City School District, where he served as principal of Glen Cove High School for seven years. Prior to that, he served as principal of Port Jefferson Middle School and held administrative positions in the Three Village Central School District and Valley Stream Central High School District. Santana, a Rocky Point resident, holds a Bachelor of Science in communication from Cornell University and a Master of Science in school administration and supervision from Touro College.

According to Santana, South Country was an ideal fit for his values and educational ethos.

“Basically, this was the only position I applied to. I was very much attracted to the district because of the demographics. It was very similar to the demographics in Glen Cove, and a couple of people reached out to me when they saw the brochure. They basically said some of the things they were looking for kind of described my style, so I kind of thought it was a perfect fit, and here I am,” Santana said.

The new superintendent is looking forward to the coming school year and a fresh start in the district, after the last couple of years of pandemic restrictions.

“It’s going to be as close to a normal opening as we’ve experienced in three years. It’s very huge,” said Santana, who is aware that there are always going to be a few bumps in the road when starting a new venture, but feels confident that any obstacles can be surmounted through openness and honesty. “There’s always challenges and areas to improve, and one of my biggest points is communication and transparency. I just want to keep the community in the loop about things that we’re doing, and I’m just looking at different ways or media that we can communicate our message,” said Santana, who already has a social media presence representing the district, with several hundred followers on Twitter (@mrtonysantana) and on Instagram (@scsuptsantana).

One of the most salient aspects of the community which drew Santana was the diversity.

“I grew up in New York City, and by default, it’s a very diverse place. I just like being around different types of people who have different perspectives,” he explained.

Another key aspect which resonated with Santana about the district is an emphasis on the positive reinforcement paradigm known in teaching circles as “restorative practices.” He expounded upon what this means on a practical level and how it pertains to his chosen response to behavioral issues and other student problems.

“I think when you talk about student management and how you respond to a kid when they make poor choices, it’s always been a very punitive model, and what those models fail to do is teach kids. You’ll find a lot of people saying kids don’t know how to behave these days, and my response to that is ‘What do we do about it?’” he said.

The new addition to the district also wants to focus not just on college-readiness but also on career-preparedness, with awareness that there is no one-size-fits-all path to success for each individual student.

“I think for many years, the school district kind of emphasized the college goal, that all kids should be going to college, and I don’t necessarily agree with that because there are so many different professions and trades and vocations you can have that lead to really productive lives,” he continued.

Teaching students critical-thinking skills as well as bestowing a balance between the “yin and yang” of being technologically savvy and emotionally cognizant, is also imperative to Santana.

“Technology is ubiquitous. We need it in any profession you now do, but I really want to stress the importance of putting those devices down and interacting and engaging in academic discourse—for example, speaking to one another and using your imagination,” he added.