To the Editor: 

We are writing to say how much we appreciate the work that Marie Wiles has done for our district over her 14 years as superintendent [“‘Agent for change’ Superintendent Wiles to retire in June,” The Altamont Enterprise, Oct. 25, 2024].

Her professionalism, hard work, and flexibility have made her a good role model for students.

She has always been open and receptive to people coming to board meetings to raise all manner of unexpected and often difficult questions. She treats everyone with respect and works to find satisfactory solutions to the issues that parents, students, faculty, staff, and community members raise.

She has been supportive of students in all their endeavors and has been present at innumerable games, concerts, academic competitions, and other events.

Dr. Wiles led the district through difficult times including the huge changes that were brought by the pandemic. She weathered voters’ rejection of a large capital project and helped the board come up with a pared-down bond project that voters were able to accept.

She led the district through large-scale efforts to increase security and keep kids safe, as well as a number of challenging and sometimes tragic incidents that have affected the whole community. She recognized the need for and helped build our district’s outstanding efforts in regard to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Our district has been really lucky to have someone with Dr. Wiles’s dedication and warmth all these years. We wish her a long and happy retirement and wish the board good luck in finding someone to replace her.

Elizabeth Floyd Mair 

Karen McMillen (Cooper’s mom)

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Elizabeth Floyd Mair is a former Enterprise reporter who currently assembles the weekly Back In Time column for the newspaper.