GUILDERLAND — After two years as the principal of Guilderland High School, Ismael Villafane is leaving for Texas.

He will be the principal of Riverside High School near El Paso, Texas.
Villafane is leaving for a warmer climate because of his wife’s rheumatoid arthritis, he said. "The winters are really bad for her," he said.

Kimberly Villafana had to close her Puerto Rican restaurant, Borinquen Bakery and Café in Guilderland’s Park Place Plaza, he said, because the doctor said she shouldn’t be on her feet so much.
"I’ve really enjoyed the support I’ve been given by the community here," Villafane told The Enterprise this week. He wraps up his duties at Guilderland next week, he said, and then will drive to Texas to start work there in the beginning of July.

What has he learned at Guilderland"
"Some of the myths you hear, about suburban school districts with high economics — that everyone will want something and be demanding — that is totally false," he said. "Parents here want the best for their kids’ education and they’re entitled to that. I appreciate parents stepping up to the plate for their son or daughter."

Villafane followed John Whipple, who was principal at Guilderland for 14 years. Two years ago, as he was starting his new job, The Enterprise asked him about his goals.
"Number one," he said, "I want to run an open high school. I want to have good communication within the school and with the community. Parents need to feel it’s their school."

Villafane feels he accomplished that.
"I feel proud. I think I have opened up the high school to the community and parents, beyond the four walls of the building," he told The Enterprise this week.
He cited the "brown-bag lunches" and "community coffees" he held, and the workshops for parents, such as one taught by gang specialist Ron "Cook" Barrett.

He also referred to the way he handled a scare that swept the school, resulting in widespread absenteeism because of rumors about neo-Nazis. The rumors turned out to be unfounded.
"I feel I fostered a good, safe school," said Villafane.
Villafane also said, "One thing I’m beginning to see here is more diversity," which, he said, brings cultural enrichment.

He also said he is proud of a new initiative with staff development.
"They wanted something more. They said, ‘We need someone to trust us,’" he said.

So this year, the sessions were developed by teachers, he said, which was very successful.

The superintendent’s views echoed Villafane’s.
"Ismael said he enjoyed his time here," Superintendent Gregory Aidala told The Enterprise, referring to Villafane’s letter of resignation. "He felt he needed to make the change...His wife had health issues and needed a warmer climate."
Aidala said he thinks the Texas post will be a good fit for Villafane. His ability to speak Spanish as well as English will be useful so close to Mexico, Aidala said. "And, he worked for 22 years in Texas prior to coming to New York, so with retirement, there are financial incentives," said Aidala.
Asked about Villafane’s accomplishments at Guilderland, Aidala said, "He’s been very open and receptive to meeting with parents."
"And," Aidala went on, "he’s been very visible in the building with students, very approachable. He’s helped foster a warm climate in the high school."

Vita

Villafane, who is 51, was born in Puerto Rico. His father, after whom he was named, was vice president of a bank; his mother has been a teacher and administrator.

Villafane played pro ball in high school in a country where baseball is big. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, he went to the University of Indiana for a master’s degree in physical education, with a minor in special education.

He then spent 22 years — from 1975 to 1997 — in the Austin, Texas area teaching a wide variety of subjects at the high-school and middle-school levels before becoming an administrator.

In 1997, Villafane moved to New York, where he worked a series of short stints as an administrator — two years as an assistant principal at a Binghamton middle school, a year as principal of a high school in Columbia County, and three years as principal of Ithaca High School before becoming Guilderland’s principal in 2003.

He’ll now be working for the Ysleta Independent School District, which he said has 46,000 students.

Riverside High School, where he will be principal, is larger than Guilderland with 2,400 students; it is about 10 miles from the Mexican border.
"It is self-sufficient with a large vocational program," said Villafane. "The school has parenting education program for students who are pregnant or have babies. The school provides day care with the caveat that the students take parenting classes. They care for their babies during the breaks. The boyfriends go, too. These are kids having kids. This helps them finish their education."

The district was the first in Texas, in 1998, he said, to be named a Recognized District, based on its academic accomplishments, and it includes several national Blue Ribbon schools.

Eighty-eight percent of its students are Hispanic, he said, nine percent are white, and two-and-a-half percent are African-American. Twenty-two percent have limited English proficiency.

The per-student cost is $5,900, he said.
"How can you do so much with so little"" concluded Villafane.

What’s next for Guilderland"

Villafane’s resignation is effective July 5. On Tuesday night, the school board met in executive session to discuss naming an interim principal.

Superintendent Aidala said he expects the school board to appoint the interim administrator at its July 5 meeting.

Aidala told The Enterprise Tuesday that Nancy Andress, the assistant superintendent for instruction, and Susan Tangorre, the district’s personnel director, have already met with high school staff to begin creating a profile of what is desired in a new principal.

Applications for the post are due by Sept. 15, Aidala said. A committee that includes staff as well as administrators will interview candidates in the early fall and the new principal should be in place by just after Thanksgiving, Aidala said.