Superintendent Leaves New Rochelle School District

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle schools Superintendent Brian G. Osborne is gone. As in effective immediately. The news was released at the Tuesday night school board meeting.

They also named the interim schools chief: Magda Parvey. Dr. Parvey has been the District’s Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer for two years and Osborne said he approved her interim appointment.

Here's the board's statement:

The New Rochelle Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian G. Osborne have reached a separation agreement, effective today, October 2. The Board of Education and Dr. Osborne felt it was in the best interests of the District and the community to move forward with the transition at this time.

The announcement was made at tonight’s school board meeting. Dr. Osborne had previously communicated that he did not wish to extend his tenure past the current agreement ending with the 2018-2019 school year.

The Board expressed its appreciation for Dr. Osborne’s leadership during the past four and a half years, recognized the many accomplishments his administration has made during that time, and thanked him for his service to the District and the New Rochelle community. He will be compensated for the remainder of his contract for the 2018-2019 school year.

Under Dr. Osborne’s leadership, the District has marked many accomplishments, including:

· Created a cohesive and consistent approach to curriculum and instruction across the entire District;

· Increased equity, ensuring expectations for learning outcomes are consistently high across all schools, providing greater levels of support to students who need it the most, and opening doors to participation in honors and AP courses to students previously denied those opportunities;

· Taken aggressive action to address facilities needs, including projects enabled by the $106.5 million bond;

· Dramatically improved all leadership and management of facilities, bringing accountability and professionalism;

· Strengthened the district’s financial position, balanced budgets, replenished the fund balance and begun to fund reserves;

· Implemented a zero-based approach to budgeting with an emphasis on long-term fiscal health; and

· Created an environment that supports ubiquitous technology access throughout the District’s buildings and supports modern day functionality.

“Thanks to the hard work of staff, leaders, students and community, the District is well-positioned to make even greater improvements,” Dr. Osborne said. “It has been an honor to serve such a dynamic and diverse community with such talented and dedicated people working in the best interests of all students. I’m grateful to the Board of Education for enabling the improvements that we have accomplished over the last four and a half years.”

The Board of Education also announced the appointment of Dr. Magda Parvey as the District’s Interim Superintendent of Schools. Since August 2016, Dr. Parvey has been the District’s Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer, overseeing all instructional programs and development of short- and long-range goals for New Rochelle’s instructional program.

“I have much confidence in Dr. Parvey’s leadership and abilities to continue moving the District forward in a positive direction,” Dr. Osborne said.

Previously, Dr. Parvey held the position of Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public Schools in North Carolina. She also served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction with the West Islip School District in West Islip, N.Y. Dr. Parvey served as the Principal of North Coleman Road Elementary in Centereach, N.Y., and as the Assistant Principal of Coman Hill Elementary in Armonk, N.Y. She was the Executive Director of The Children’s Center at SUNY Brooklyn and a Lead Teacher at P.S. 189K in New York City.

“I’m honored that the Board of Education selected me to continue the work that we’ve started toward the District’s strategic objectives,” Dr. Parvey said. “I am also thankful for Dr. Osborne’s support, and am looking forward to continuing our work to restore the community trust and improve communication while also building quality schools and exceptional educational programs.”

Dr. Parvey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and French from Canisius College; a Master of Science degree in elementary education and a Master of Arts in educational leadership and technology, both from Adelphi University; and a Doctor of Education in administration and supervision from Fordham University.

“I would like to thank Dr. Osborne for his service to this District for the past four and a half years,” Board President Jeffrey Hastie said. “The Board of Education has the utmost respect for Dr. Osborne and the tremendous improvements he has made in the District, and we wish him well as he takes on new challenges.”

Photo: Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Magda Parvey