Peekskill Superintendent of Schools Abruptly Resigns from Post
The Peekskill City School District will be searching for a new superintendent of schools following the sudden resignation of Dr. David Fine.
The well-liked Fine, who officially took over leading the district on July 1, 2015, issued a short letter to the Board of Education that was publicly released Friday, stating he was resigning from his $230,000 position.
“It has been an honor to have served the Peekskill community the last nine years,” stated Fine, who served as principal of the middle school and assistant superintendent of secondary education in the district prior to being appointed superintendent of schools.
“It is a position into which I have placed my heart and soul,” he stated. “I thank the board for the opportunity and wish everyone all the best. However, at this point I must reassess my priorities and make a change so that I can provide some needed focus on my personal life and family.”
In an email to district staff on Thursday, according to a statement posted on the district’s website by the Board of Education, Fine further mentioned his need to “regroup” and cited his “health” as another reason for his departure.
“Although we recognize that some in our community will have additional questions about Dr. Fine’s departure, we cannot offer any further detail since this is a personnel matter, and by law the Board is prohibited from discussing personnel matters in public,” the Board of Education stated. “It is the Board’s sincere hope that the citizens of our School District can understand and appreciate the Board’s obedience to the law and respect for Dr. Fine’s right to privacy. Only the affected public employee has the right to permit such discussion or to choose to engage in public discussion regarding the personal matters that led to the employee’s decision to resign.”
“The Board continues to extend its best wishes to Dr. Fine and we express our sincere thanks for his work and accomplishments for the Peekskill City School District,” the Board added.
The Board of Education was scheduled Monday night to formally accept Fine’s resignation, which is effective June 30, but Fine will be using his accumulated vacation and sick leave time to cover his paid leave of absence.
At the same time, the Board will appoint Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli as acting superintendent until the end of the school year, a role Licopoli has performed on two previous occasions.
According to a community source, Fine may be a leading candidate to succeed retiring Yorktown Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ralph Napolitano.
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