Statement on the Retirement of RIH Superintendent Beverly MacKay

Just recently, members of the Ramapo-Indian Hills community learned that Superintendent Beverly MacKay announced her retirement effective August 1, 2020.

As a longstanding member of the community, and as a parent with a child once taught by Mrs. MacKay, my wife, my son and I want to express our fond best wishes to Mrs. MacKay for a long, healthy and fulfilling retirement with her husband and extended family.

One of the most vital and central roles of the board is the search for and selection of a Superintendent. This occasion requires that the board set a vision for the district that will guide the search. Only by laying out a bold vision describing aspirations for what RIH can become will the board attract exceptional candidates with the leadership skills to flesh out that vision, and bring together the community to pursue and support it.

Whether the board continues its current plans to develop a strategic plan, or defers those plans to allow a new Superintendent to lead that process, this is a pivotal moment for Wyckoff voters who will choose two members of that board on November 5.

At this time, strong expertise and experience in education is even more urgent. As a former University Chief of Staff with a doctoral degree in education and a 40 year career in public higher education, I counseled a University board and staffed searches for a president and multiple vice-presidents. I advised the University President and senior campus leaders on, and participated in, several strategic planning processes, each utilizing a different strategic planning model.

If elected, I will advocate that a central tenet of that vision should be “Putting Students First.” Only by making the academic, professional and personal development and well-being of each and every student the central guiding principle of the board’s decision making can the board best fulfill its duty to the RIH community.

The hiring of a new superintendent, the setting of a new district vision and the development of a new strategic plan are not a time to rest on the status quo. My colleague Dr. Fran Nelson (Column #4) and I want to bring new insights and expertise to the board informed by our long experience in education.

I hope you will consider my qualifications as you vote on November 5.