Harford Schools Name 40-Year Veteran as Interim Superintendent

Three months after announcing that Superintendent Robert Tomback was leaving the school system, the Harford County Board of Education has named his temporary successor.

On May 13, Harford County Public Schools issued a statement revealing that the school board has selected Barbara Canavan as the interim superintendent.

Canavan will serve a one-year term as interim superintendent from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014.

“Mrs. Canavan is celebrating 40 years of dedicated service and commitment to the students and staff of Harford County Public Schools as a teacher, administrator and executive director,” Harford County Board of Education President Rick Grambo said in the statement.

Canavan has been the executive director of middle school performance for Harford County Public Schools since 2010, working on curriculum development and instructional programming, according to the statement. Since 1973, she has served the school system in various capacities, from an assistant middle school teacher at Aberdeen Middle to principal of Southampton Middle School in Bel Air.

Among her goals, Canavan said she hopes "to afford all students optimal opportunities to realize their full potential; to ensure that our workforce is superior in both talent and moral fiber; and, to safeguard the efficacious management of fiscal matters.”

Canavan holds a bachelor's degree from Mount Saint Mary’s College in English Literature, with minors in secondary education and French. She has a master's degree from Columbia University Teachers College in middle school education and also holds a master's equivalent from Loyola College in Baltimore in administration and supervision.

“As a board, we are confident in her abilities to lead this school system and community through this time of transition as the interim superintendent," Grambo said, "and we look forward to working with her to move forward with our mission to prepare all of our students to succeed academically and socially."

The school system provided the following information about Canavan's background:

Her career in the field of education began in 1970 as an elementary school teacher at the Sacred Heart School in Brooklyn, NY.

In 1973, she made the move to the Harford County Public School System, serving as an assistant middle school teacher at Aberdeen Middle School before accepting a position as assistant principal at Edgewood Middle School in 1978.

She moved on to become the assistant principal at Magnolia Middle School in 1983.

After serving six years at Magnolia Middle, in 1989, Ms. Canavan accepted an assistant principal position at Southampton Middle School where she became principal in 1991 and remained there for the next 19 years. As the principal of Southampton Middle School, Mrs. Canavan encouraged open-ended dialogue in order to assess the needs of the students, the staff and the community. Her active leadership and good judgment in working with all stakeholders allowed her to develop positive relationships and conduct ongoing programs to support student achievement.

Upon being named the executive director of middle school performance in 2010, Mrs. Canavan assumed the responsibility of the direction of curriculum development and instructional programming. While serving in this role, she has been able to gain a global perspective of school system management serving the needs of students and staff throughout the county.

Mrs. Canavan has served on and chaired many committees and task forces in Harford County, which have been instrumental in determining policy and procedure as well as the vision and mission of HCPS. She has presented key education topics at the local, state and national levels. As vice president, president and chief negotiator for the Association of Public School Administrators and Supervisors of Harford County for 19 years, Mrs. Canavan was able to develop a keen understanding and appreciation for the collective bargaining process.

See Also:

• Harford School Board to Appoint Interim Superintendent
• Superintendent Dr. Tomback Leaving Harford Schools