News
Green Island board appoints new Superintendent
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| Dr. Michael Mugits |
At its meeting on June 3, the Board of Education announced the selection of Dr. Michael Mugits as the next Superintendent of Green Island Union Free School District. He will succeed John McKinney who announced his retirement effective June 30, 2010 after serving the district for 41 years.
Dr. Mugits has served as a principal at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels in rural, suburban, and urban environments during his 33 years as a public school leader. Most recently, he has been the principal of Schuylerville Elementary School for the last 19 years.
“While I greatly enjoyed my years at Schuylerville, I had an interest in the K-12 perspective and the opportunity to influence an entire school district,” Dr. Mugits said. “Green Island offers the opportunity to be a superintendent and still be immersed in the learning environment and engaging students. I am really looking forward to becoming part of the school community.”
While at Schuylerville, Dr. Mugits said he was most proud of raising student test scores on state exams and forging good relationships with staff and parents. Dr. Mugits pointed to an annual anonymous parent survey, where 86 percent of parents rated the elementary school an “A” or higher this year.
Dr. Mugits earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Maine at Machias and his master’s degree in educational administration from Plymouth State University. He also studied organizational behavior and philosophy at Harvard University and earned doctoral credits from Texas Tech University. Most recently, he completed his doctoral work in Educational Leadership from Sage Graduate School in May 2010.
The search for a new district superintendent involved interviewing 18 candidates for the position, which led to the selection of eight candidates to be interviewed by a stakeholder group. The stakeholder group consisted of various members of the Heatly community, including parents, teachers, an administrator and a village government representative. After interviewing the candidates, the stakeholder group met with the board to present their feedback and suggestions, which led the board to choose four candidates for a final interview. The board was guided through the selection process by Dr. Charles Dedrick and Dr. Kathryn Gerbino from Capital Region BOCES.
“There were many qualified candidates and the final four were impressive,” said Green Island Board President Norm Stebbins. “However, after the final interviews the board came to a consensus that Dr. Mugits was the right fit for the district. His experience, knowledge and caring nature made him stand out.”
Dr. Mugits has entered into a three-year contract at a starting salary of $119,000. While the final details of the contract are still being worked out, his expected start date will be July 1, 2010.
The Board of Education is planning an
opportunity for community members, staff and students to meet Dr. Mugits
in the near future. Details will be announced on this Web site, in the
e-newsletter and through
School News Notifier (SNN).
