Assistant Superintendents Purvis and Weber to Retire in June

Scarsdale Schools will experience a sea change in leadership next year as Assistant Superintendents Linda Purvis and Joan Weber both retire effective June 2015. Their retirements, announced at the December 8 meeting of the Board of Education, follow the departure of Superintendent Michael McGill in June 2014 and will require the new Superintendent, Dr. Thomas Hagerman, and the Board of Education to recruit new talent to fill these key roles in the administration. Both Weber and Purvis are veterans of the district, with Weber serving 32 years and Purvis 15 years. Most in Scarsdale can't remember the days before Purvis' robo calls announcing snow days and Weber's skillful management of the district's personnel.

Weber, who is the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administrative Services, manages all hiring and tenure decisions for both the professional and para-professional staff. She seems to be on a first-name basis with everyone who works at the district and made recommendations to the board on sensitive decisions involving projected district enrollments and hiring decisions to meet class size requirements. In addition to her personnel duties, Weber was a proponent of thinking global and led the Interdependence Institute that brought many international speakers and events to the school. When the district celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2010, the Institute and PTA Multi Cultural Committee put on an impressive International Fair with representatives from 32 countries, performances, demonstrations and more. Recently the Interdependence Institute was one of the sponsors of a visit to the school by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn to discuss their latest book, "A Path Appears, Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity."

Purvis is an expert at managing the district's +$140mm budget as well as overseeing the district schools, facilities and transportation department. During her tenure she struck a balance between containing costs and funding the educational program and new initiatives. When the district was under pressure to minimize tax increases, she displayed flexibility in selecting only the most critical facilities repairs for funding, resulting in a backlog of facilities projects.

In the past two years she has worked tirelessly on the proposed bond referendum that will be put to a community vote on December 11. The projects funded in the bond will address many of the repairs and renovations she called for in the past five years and build new spaces to accommodate ccontemporary learning styles. Hiring the architects, honing the project list, and investigating financing were all on her plate. If passed by voters, the management of the construction and financing will fall to her successor.

A roomful of faculty members and STA President David Wixted attended the Board meeting to laud the two retiring administrators as well as Manager of Human Resources Denise Mulqueen who will retire in September, 2015. Wixted said, "Many are here to mark this moment that their time for working here will end. Denise Molqueen kept accurate records, and managed a complicated position with skill and a quick wit."

He continued, "For 15 years Linda Purvis has for 16 years expertly managed the complex tasks required. Purvis oversees complicated budgets and has managed the seen and unforeseen.... offering careful explanations and considered advice... she watches over the state of the district buildings, making sure they are ready for the instruction that occurs within while skillfully managing a staff. We thank for her excellent work that is so vital to everyone."

About Weber, Wixted said, "Dr. Joan Weber our Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administrative Services has demonstrated intelligent, humane and graceful stewardship of our school district over 30 +years of service. It would be impossible to capture fully what she has done in her tenure. But let's acknowledge that so much of the excellence that exists here has been a direct result of her good work in collaboration with teachers and the board. She always demonstrated high expectations for the faculty. Joan has been our honest friend who always listens with an open mind. Over time we have learned that the surest way to persuade her is to convince her that our argument is in the best interest of students. I know that we all owe Joan an enormous debt. The only way we can repay her is by continuing her tradition of excellence and collaboration in the future. Joan – thank you for all you have done for us."

Commenting on her own retirement, an emotional Weber said, "The time has come the walrus said and so it has for this old walrus. After 32 years of service I will be retiring at the end of the school year. The privilege of working here with such an outstanding staff makes leaving all the more difficult. My wish for all is that you honor the legacy you inherited and create your own imprint as you journey on into the future. Preserve and protect this venerable institution – it's one of a kind."

School Board President Mary Beth Gose said, "It is with great sadness and a sense of loss that we accept the retirement of Dr. Joan Weber. She has worked tirelessly in hiring, nurturing and guiding nearly everyone who works in our schools. Her career in education began long before she worked in Scarsdale and included work on the school board in Harrison and other civic and volunteer work. No words would come close to measuring the deep impact she has had on everyone in the schools."

Board of Education VP, Lee Maude addressed Purvis, saying, "We wish to thank you for 15 years of tireless work for the district. Most people know your voice from the much anticipated snow announcements. But you do so much more with grace, charm and limitless patience. You deal with a myriad of issues and people and always have time to answer our questions."

Let us review a few of the extraordinary things you have done:

• Introduced clear and open financial statement
• Led bond referendums and construction projects that have touched every building
• Managed a transportation program that buses hundreds and maybe thousands of children each day
• Put in place a long term plan for our district facilities
• Spent hours and hours at meetings
• Long before the state started talked about achieving efficiencies, you reached out to neighboring communities.

From the bottom of our hearts we say thank you and congratulations on your very successful tenure in Scarsdale."

In written remarks about Linda Purvis, Dr. McGill wrote, "Linda, you have made a huge positive impact. You have risen to the occasion and surpassed its demands."

Both Gose and Maude indicated that this was just the beginning of what would be done to celebrate the retirements of Purvis and Weber. There were many rounds of applause and standing ovations for all the retirees from the roomful of teachers and administrators.