Carole Geary is nearing the end of her four-year contract as superintendent of the Pleasant Valley School District and will be retiring at its conclusion on July 31.

"I plan on taking some time for myself," said Geary. "I thought about it the other day, and I have been working since I was 12 years old."Geary is proud of what her team has accomplished during her tenure with the district."We have worked hard for our students," she said. "The district is in great shape fiscally, three years with zero tax increases, the dropout rate has decreased and we have produced some really great quality kiddos."Fiscal responsibility is important to Geary, but so is being able to provide quality education and programs."Even with all the budget concerns and crisis, we haven't cut programs," Geary said. "We still have wood shop and consumer science, we have been able to keep these types of programs."Apparently Geary does not intend to rest for very long."I really want to take some time and travel," Geary said. "But I want to finish my doctorate so one day I can teach at a college level."Geary has always had a calling for volunteer service. She is a longtime volunteer with Quiet Valley and would love to return to work with Pocono Area Transitional Housing. Geary wants to continue to give back to the community.She began her tenure at Pleasant Valley fresh out of college in 1985 as a math teacher at the high school.Geary was born and raised in Bradford, McKean County. She graduated from Bradford High School in 1981, then Slippery Rock University with a bachelor of science in secondary math education in 1985. She earned her master's in secondary education in 1996 from East Stroudsburg University.All but two years of her 30-plus year career were spent at Pleasant Valley."I would say that Pleasant Valley School District has been very good to me," Geary said. "I have a great team and we have some really great kiddos."