Ex-East Ramapo educator Pedro Santana dead at 47

• Pedro Santana%2C a popular educator%2C died Sunday in Pennsylvania
• He became embroiled in an education certification scandal
• Santana told students%3A "Don't let your circumstances define you."

Pedro Santana, an educator popular among students and perhaps best known in Rockland for a brief but impactful stint as an East Ramapo school district administrator that ended amid scandal, died Sunday morning surrounded by his family in Philadelphia. He was 47.

The cause of death was complications from cancer, said family friend Cassandra Edwards, who spoke with Santana on the phone Saturday as he spent his final hours in a Pennsylvania hospital.

"The district was just one part and one chapter of his life," said Edwards, a Spring Valley community activist. "What was more telling was that he continued to (help students). It wasn't about his position, it wasn't about his status. It was about a true investment in young people and community."

Santana was hired in 2010 as assistant superintendent of secondary education in East Ramapo after serving as the principal of a middle school in the South Bronx.

While at Middle School 391, he was featured in a New York Times profile for his success in helping to turn the school around by improving test scores and graduation rates. But Santana also clashed with colleagues and became the subject of investigations related to allegations of misconduct.

After joining East Ramapo, Santana was a candidate for the superintendent of schools post, but lost out to current Superintendent Joel Klein. Santana did receive a promotion, with his responsibilities expanding to grades K-12.

That was short-lived, however, as the veteran educator became embroiled in an education certification scandal that led to his firing in the fall of 2011. He lacked the state certification required to work as an educator at the districtwide level, according to state Education Department records, but had the certification to serve as a building principal.

Dozens of parents and students voiced opposition to the elimination of the sole administrator of color at the time in East Ramapo, a man who they said had quickly won the hearts of many in one of the poorest and most diverse school districts in the Lower Hudson Valley. He was also credited by activists with exposing the inner structure of dysfunction in the district.

Reflecting on his time in East Ramapo, Santana told The Journal News in 2013 that he was sad that he couldn't continue being a role model for the 9,000 mostly black and Hispanic students. His message, however, for them remained the same: "Don't let your circumstances define you."

Santana, who lived in New City, had planned to start a new job as a school administrator in Dubai until he learned last year that he had stage 4 kidney cancer.

After receiving the diagnosis, he got together with his friends and family, including parents and five siblings, for a daylong celebration of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and winter birthdays.

Santana is survived by his wife, Angie, and their two children, Alexa and Hudson. A memorial service, including the showing of part of a documentary featuring Santana, will be held May 13 at 6 p.m. at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern.

Twitter: @gshilly