The 2022-23 school year will be Yonkers Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada’s last at the helm, officials announced Wednesday.

Quezada will be retiring, effective July 3, after over 25 years working with Yonkers Public Schools.

In Quezada’s letter, he called his tenure an “exceedingly rewarding, and at times challenging, period of my professional life … it is time for me to take a new path in my life’s journey.”

Quezada was appointed superintendent in March 2016, after having spent two years as deputy superintendent. He oversaw schools that serve over 25,000 students and nearly 4,000 staff members.

Quezada continued that “a more sustainable foundation has been structured to continue improving student outcomes for future generations of children… An exciting era is about to begin for the Yonkers Public Schools… The foundation is in place.”

Quezada said that he thought now was the right time to step aside in favor of a “fresh perspective.”

In response to his retirement, Yonkers Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez said, “The Trustees and I understand and respect Dr. Quezada’s desire to expand his professional career and wish him well.  Most importantly, we want to extend our deepest appreciation to Dr. Quezada for his outstanding and relentless commitment to the students, families and staff in our district.”

According to his bio, Quezada came to New York from the Dominican Republic in 1983 at 15 years old. He graduated from James Monroe High in the Bronx and attended Lehman College for his bachelor’s in accounting, then got his master’s in counseling there as well. He attended Fordham for his master’s in school administration in 2000, and then Walden University in 2012 for his doctorate in education.

He first joined Yonkers Public Schools as an HR facilitator in 1998 and became an assistant principal in 2000.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano credited Quezada with the district's graduation rate climbing over 90% -- that's over a 10% jump since he took over in 2016.

"He does so in a district that's been chronically underfunded for a long time, he doesn't make excuses, he just has a job to do, he does it, and he expects everyone around him to do the same thing," says Spano.

Spano says a nationwide search for Quezada's replacement will start soon. It's unclear how long that might take, so an interim superintendent being named is a possibility.

Quezada's current contract was due to run through January 2025.