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The head of student enrollment is retiring from the office she created after overseeing massive changes in how students apply and are accepted to city high schools.

In an email, Chancellor Joel Klein said that Elizabeth Sciabarra, who founded the Office of Student Enrollment in 2003, will retire at the end of this month. Sciabarra, who has worked in schools and for the Department of Education for 37 years, has been the architect overseeing how the chancellor’s policy of high school choice has been enacted.

Her retirement may not come at a great time for families — students’ high school applications are due to the city on December 3 — and Sciabarra is known for her willingness to personally respond to parents’ cries of confusion.

“I would say she’s done an amazing job in transforming the admissions system,” said InsideSchools’ editor Pam Wheaton. “That’s not to say there still aren’t glitches, but when InsideSchools began in 2002, it was a really flawed system.”

In the last eight years, the city has opened more than 200 new high schools, adding pages to the tome that is the high school directory, and necessitating more communication with parents about what their options are. To do this, Sciabarra created the High School Admissions Ambassadors Program, which taught a handful of parents the intricacies of the admissions process and brought them to events where they could help other parents.

At the end of this month, Chief Operating Officer of the Portfolio Planning office Rob Sanft will temporarily replace Sciabarra, who is staying on as a part-time consultant.

Klein’s full email follows:

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to let you know that after 37 years of service to New York City public schools, Elizabeth Sciabarra will retire later this month. Liz currently serves as CEO of the Office of Student Enrollment, which she founded in 2003. Rob Sanft, who served as Liz’s Chief Operating Officer from 2004-2010 and is currently COO for the Division of Portfolio Planning (DPP), will lead the Office of Student Enrollment on an interim basis. We are undertaking a search for a new leader. Liz will advise DPP as a part-time consultant to assist in the transition to new leadership.

Liz began her career at Brooklyn Technical High School, where she served as an English teacher, then as Coordinator of Student Affairs, and then as Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services. Liz later served as principal of New Dorp High School on Staten Island for almost ten years before becoming Deputy Superintendent of Brooklyn and Staten Island High Schools, Deputy Superintendent of High Schools, and finally Superintendent of Selective Schools.

Since founding the Office of Student Enrollment in 2003, Liz has overseen enrollment services for students in pre-kindergarten through high school, including pre-kindergarten admissions, kindergarten enrollment, elementary school gifted and talented placement, middle school choice, high school admissions, placement and transfers, and NCLB Public School Choice. Under Liz’s leadership, the Office of Student Enrollment developed the nation’s premier high school choice system. Most recently, Liz launched the High School Admissions Ambassadors Program, designed to teach interested parents and stakeholders about the high school admissions process and to engage them in high school admissions events across the city.

Beginning November 22, Rob will serve as Interim Acting CEO for Enrollment. Susan Cofield, Executive Director of Manhattan Enrollment, will take on additional responsibilities to oversee pre-k through 5th grade enrollment and gifted and talented enrollment. Sandy Ferguson, who currently leads our middle school enrollment, will now oversee 6th through 12th grade enrollment. Together, these three leaders bring more than 58 years of experience working with New York City public schools. I am confident they will successfully lead this year’s admissions and choice processes.

We are grateful that Liz will continue to support this enrollment cycle and remain connected to our work. Liz has shown an unrelenting drive to put children first, and has been an inspiration and a model for all of our staff. She has served as an ambassador for reform and a dedicated advocate for students. Please join me in thanking Liz for her years of service and immeasurable contribution to the children of New York City.

Sincerely,

Joel Klein