John Bell leaving DVSD to head Port Jervis schools

At their meeting on Tuesday, July 19, the Port Jervis Board of Education appointed John Bell as the district’s new Superintendent of Schools, effective Sep. 1. Bell will succeed former Port Jervis Superintendent Michael Rydell, whose move to the Marlboro Central School District was announced earlier this month.

Bell, who accumulated approximately 15 years of service in New York prior to working in Pennsylvania, decided to make the move to Port Jervis after receiving an estimate of what it would cost to convert 12 years of his previous service to the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System.

“I had an estimate done of what that would cost, by 12 years of service, and it came out to be about a quarter of a million dollars,” he said. “Once I found out how high the estimate was, it became apparent that it would be much more advantageous for me to go back to New York and accumulate as many years as I can.”

The Delaware Valley Board of Education has not yet released details regarding the search for DV’s new superintendent. According to Bell, the board has been meeting to determine who will be hired as an interim superintendent and what search firm they will use.

Bell describes his move to Port Jervis as “bittersweet,” as he is sad to leave DV, but excited for the challenges ahead.

“The bottom line is that Delaware Valley is a great place for kids to grow up. There’s a very dedicated faculty and staff, beautiful buildings, and, for the most part, really awesome kids,” he said when asked to reflect on his time at DV. “Kids who go to Delaware Valley are very lucky to go to school in this environment.”