Hendrick Hudson Board of Education Discusses Succession Plan
At its Wednesday night meeting, the Hendrick Hudson Board of Education expressed its regret over the impending retirement of district superintendent Daniel McCann.
“Dr. McCann has tirelessly and endlessly put in hours of hours of dedication to the students of our district, working diligently toward our strategic plan and maximizing student potential and developing a supportive educational community,” said board president Marion Walsh. “The Board of Education is going to be very sorry to see him leave.”
Trustee Mary-Pat Briggi said she valued McCann’s student-centered educational philosophy.
“The thing that struck me about Dr. McCann is that he always, always put the kids first,” she said. “No matter what, when it came down to a question, it was for the children and frankly that’s what’s most important. We are in an environment of education — it’s about what’s best for the children.”
The Board of Education has plans to hire an interim superintendent and has already posted the job, Walsh said, adding that the new administrator would serve from June 30 to either December 30, 2012 or the end of the school year.
Soon, a search committee will be formed, she said.
“This will be a long-term search for a new superintendent who will essentially follow in Dr. McCann’s footsteps, we believe, in following our strategic plan and looking for fiscal responsibility,” Walsh said. “It’s not an easy task, but we will forge ahead.”
Addressing the board and members of the public, McCann said he is proud of the ways in which Hendrick Hudson has learned to continue to produce and educate effectively while cutting down on expenses.
“I arrived here when this community had said no, had said we had spent too much,” he said. “And since that beginning … that is what I was asked to do — to do more with less — and we’ve been successful.”
McCann said he hopes the spirit of compromise and collaboration that he believes has colored his tenure will continue under his successor.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.