Northport School Board Names Interim Superintendent

Submitted by Northport-East Northport Schools

The Northport-East Northport UFSD Board of Education has approved a resolution that allows Superintendent Dr. Marylou McDermott to resign for the purposes of retirement effective January 9, 2015.

Dr. McDermott, who notified the Board last August that 2014-15 would be her final year as Superintendent, informed the Board in recent weeks that she would likely have to take extended absences to care for her ailing mother.

“I was fully prepared to spend the balance of the school year as the district’s superintendent, but it is paramount that my energies be fully devoted to my family,” said Dr. McDermott. “I refuse to do this job without being fully present, and I appreciate the Board’s personal understanding and empathy.”

The Board’s resolution waives the 12-month notification requirement in Dr. McDermott’s contract and allows her to resign for the purposes of retirement.

“Dr. McDermott has had an extraordinarily positive impact on our school district,” said Board of Education President Julia Binger. “We will be hosting a special acknowledgment of her contributions on January 12 and look forward to honoring her for all she has provided to our school community.”

The Board also approved a resolution naming Dr. Thomas Caramore as Interim Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Caramore had worked in the district as the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in 2012-13. “His familiarity with our district, as well as his longstanding work as a Superintendent in Bellmore-Merrick, make him an outstanding interim leader,” said Mrs. Binger.

The district’s Superintendent search, which was announced earlier in this school year, is not impacted by this announcement.

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