Mahopac Teachers Union Addresses District Leadership Changes
Following the departure of one Mahopac school system principal and the future exit of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dennis Creedon, the Mahopac Teachers Association (MTA) spoke out about the constant change in leadership the district has faced.
In a long statement posted online by teachers’ union president Thomas McMahon, the MTA suggested several ways the district could retain high-level administrators. McMahon pointed out the district will be looking for its fifth school chief in ten years, and third middle school principal in five years. Additionally, the district named its third high school principal this past spring in three years.
McMahon called the latest upheaval “not surprising.”
“In addition to these major changes in administration, members of our board of education, as well as other supervisory personnel, have changed and do change annually,” McMahon stated.
The MTA’s post put on Facebook has been widely shared and most comments underneath the post have been supportive.
In the strongest part of the statement, McMahon listed several ways the district can keep a stable number of principals and district office leaders going forward. That list includes offering more regionally competitive salaries, considering applicants from the area that have a stake in the community, and allowing employees to work without overreach from higher-ups.
“Perhaps in the future, Mahopac will entrust those they hire to be allowed to do their jobs without micro-management. And just perhaps in the future, Mahopac will respect and reward those who have dedicated their professional lives to this community and don’t just consider Mahopac a temporary stop on their career path,” McMahon said.
Creedon and Mahopac school board president Leslie Mancuco didn’t return an email seeking comment on the post. Creedon announced earlier this month he was leaving Mahopac after the 2017-18 school year, finishing up his three-year contract. Middle School principal Vincent DiGrandi left the school recently to take a job in North Salem schools.
While there has been a carousel of administrators in Mahopac, McMahon said about 60 percent of MTA members have worked for the district for at least 16 years. He listed teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, speech therapists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, speech pathologists and others that have kept the school district stable.
“So, while superintendents, board members and administrators come and go,” McMahon said. “MTA members are the unchanging element that makes Mahopac schools unwaveringly successful; after all, what makes an exceptional school district is not those that leave, but rather those that stay.”
