Lakeland School Board Names New Superintendent

SHRUB OAK, NY — The Lakeland Board of Education announced Tuesday meeting that Brendan Lyons has been appointed as its new Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1, 2020.

Lyons is currently the head of the Arlington Central School District in Dutchess County.

"Dr. Lyons is dedicated to building a superior learning environment and has the experience and enthusiasm to move Lakeland forward, especially in a challenging new world where we face many uncertainties from COVID-19, including lost instructional time, emotional challenges and budget reductions," said Lakeland Board President Mike Daly.

Dr. Lyons will replace Dr. George Stone, who is retiring after serving in his role for 10 years.

“We are grateful for Dr. Stone’s leadership and commitment to the Lakeland community over the years. He has been instrumental in strengthening the district’s mission of providing all students with the opportunity for success and has more recently helped navigate us through the pandemic crisis,” Daly said.

The BOE conducted a rigorous eight-month search before selecting Lyons, an established superintendent with extensive experience leading a diverse school district including strong financial management skills and a background in curriculum and instruction both as an administrator and classroom teacher.

“The board greatly appreciates the role that parents, students, teachers, staff and local citizens played in helping identify the personal and professional qualities they wanted in a new superintendent,” said Daly. “By participating in the survey, focus groups and forums conducted by the superintendent search firm, our community gave us the road map we needed to follow as we reviewed applications and interviewed candidates for the position.”

Lyons began his 25-year career as a social studies teacher in Arlington High School. After moving to the administrative side, he quickly rose through the ranks starting as assistant principal in the high school, moving to principal in the middle school and returning to the high school as executive principal. From there, Lyons was tapped as deputy superintendent in 2012 and ultimately appointed as superintendent in 2013 where he was responsible for a $215 million annual operating budget and supervising four assistant superintendents and 11 building principals.

Over the years, Lyons made many notable contributions to the district including initiating a strategic planning process and developing an equity initiative that examined student disciplinary practices, course enrollment and grading.

“I am honored and excited to join the Lakeland Central School District as its next superintendent. This is an outstanding community that places the best interests of students at the center of all its decisions,” said Lyons. “I look forward to fully immersing myself in learning about the district and the people in it. I also want to thank the Board of Education for their trust in me to lead after such a well-respected superintendent as Dr. Stone.”

Lyons earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of South Carolina, and both his Master’s degree in Social Studies Education and his Administrative Certificate from SUNY New Paltz. He completed his doctoral work in educational leadership at Seton Hall University.