After more than two decades as principal at Valleyview Elementary School in Oneonta, Walter Baskin will retire at the holiday break, marking the end of a more than 30-year career in education.
His last day will be Dec. 19, a mid-year departure time to coincide with reaching full credit in the New York State retirement system.
In a letter sent to families, Baskin described the decision as bittersweet.
“It has been the honor of my life to be entrusted with running Valleyview Elementary School for the past 21-plus years,” Baskin wrote. “I will greatly miss the daily interactions with my staff and the children.”
Retired administrator Ann Wolstenholme, a longtime Oneonta Middle School English teacher and former principal of Oneonta High School, will serve as interim principal at Valleyview for the remainder of the year while the Oneonta City School District searches for a replacement.
An Oneonta native, Baskin studied math and statistics at SUNY Oneonta before earning his Master of Arts in teaching from Binghamton University and later a Certificate of Advanced Study in administration from SUNY Cortland.
Though both his father and father-in-law worked in education, he said he never set out to follow in their footsteps.
“In fact if you had asked me as a kid, I probably would have laughed,” Baskin said.
He began his career teaching math and coaching cross country in Delhi, before eventually returning home to Oneonta. Having his own children in the school district helped shape his interest in school leadership, and he became Valleyview’s principal in 2002.
During his 22 years in the role, the school has undergone steady change. About a decade ago, Valleyview shifted from a K-6 to a K-5 building after sixth grade moved to the middle school.
More recently, the traditional computer lab was made into a faculty room, as every classroom has switched to Chromebooks. Valleyview also just upgraded its playground, installing a new climbing structure and a spinning sphere that quickly became a favorite among students.
While the curriculum and technology are evolving quickly, he said, one thing hasn’t changed as much as people think.
“You always hear folks talk about how the kids aren’t the same as they used to be, but they really are” Baskin said. “I think a lot of times adults just forget how mischievous we were as kids.”
He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, when teachers pivoted to remote and hybrid instruction, as one of the most challenging and memorable periods of his career.
But above all, he said, he is most proud of the team he leaves behind, emphasizing how this staff’s strength and dedication should make an easy transition for whoever follows him.
“You can just get out of the way, and these folks will do a great job,” Baskin said.
Reflecting on his career and his return to his hometown, he said the move back to Oneonta ultimately felt right.
“When you’re in high school you think, I want to get out of here,” he said. “But as you get older and have a family, you realize it’s actually a pretty nice place to raise kids. I guess I ended up right where I needed to be.”
With his wife still working, Baskin said his immediate plans involve staying in the area and enjoying a life without rigid schedules. His three children remain closely connected to the region and he looks forward to spending more time with his grandson.