The West Islip School Board is in negotiations with Dr. Beth Virginia Blau to assume the post as Superintendent of Schools, replacing Superintendent Thomas E. Boedicker who retired August 1. In the meantime, officials said they have appointed Blau as interim superintendent.

"We believed we had a good candidate for the job right here in our own district and didn't think we needed to spend our time or district money to look elsewhere," said Susan Lipman, president of the school board. "We have a lot of confidence in her and she will do a good job in our district. She has the support of our staff and many residents have come up to me on the street to say they are pleased with out decision."

The issue of formalizing the contract is one of timing. With the summer months, board members were on vacation and it was difficult to get everyone together to sit down and discuss the details, said Lipman. She added that she would hope to name Blau Superintendent at the September meeting or the October meeting, at the latest.

Formerly the director of humanities for the school district, Dr. Blau has served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction the past three years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social studies from Brooklyn College, a master’s in reading from Queens College and a doctorate in language and cognition from Hofstra, where she also earned a certificate of advanced study in administration.

Additionally, Dr. Blau’s experience includes teaching most grade levels and, prior to joining the West Islip district, being a director in the Long Beach City School System.