The Burnt Hill Ballston Lake Central School District has looked to a neighboring district in choosing its next superintendent: Patrick McGrath, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at the Mohonasen Central School District.
Patrick McGrath will follow eight-year tenure of Jim Schultz.
BH-BL’s search has been progressing since September, when Jim Schultz announced he would be retiring after holding the position for eight years. One of the qualities the board was looking for in choosing the new superintendent was staying power.
McGrath, who was appointed at the school board’s regular business meeting on Tuesday, April 3, has been an educator since 1991. He will begin his new position on or around July 1, and his three-year contract includes an annual salary of $156,000. McGrath will pay 25 percent of his health insurance premiums, and the board will contribute $3,000 annually to his annuity account.
District spokeswoman Christy Multer said the contract is still being fine tuned and that the district and McGrath are working with the aid of an attorney to reach a mutually beneficial contract.
Capital Region BOCES led the search.
“We’re looking for someone to make a long term commitment and not looking for them to use BHBL as a stepping stone. It could be, but questions (in looking at potential candidates) centered around the long term goals,” said BOCES Superintendent Charles Dedrick in an interview last month.
McGrath started his career as a middle school science teacher in the Niskayuna School District in 1991. In 2001 he was appointed assistant principal of the Draper Middle School in Mohonasen, a post he held for twoy ears. He was then made Draper Middle School principal, and later Mohonasen High School principal, a position he held for two years.
As assistant superintendent, McGrath has been responsible for overseeing instruction, curriculum development and program development for3,000 students and 230 teachers. He has gained experience in collective bargaining, was responsible for the Human Resources office, supervised the directors of several academic departments including athletics and special education and served concurrently as Mohonasen’s director of information technology.
BH-BL Board of Education President James Maughan said he was pleased with the board’s selection of McGrath.
“I think he’s going to be a good fit for Burnt Hills. He’s very student centered, you can see in everything he does, it all goes back to the students. Choosing the superintendent is the most important we do and it has a long lasting impact,” he said.
“We wanted to ensure that we got input from everyone, all of the stakeholders. It’s been a lot of hours. We look forward to working with him, and are grateful for what Mr. Schultz has done,” added Maughan.
Maughan said he’s excited to make the move to BH-BL.
“My past 10 years at Mohonasen have been filled with great experiences and great people. … I’m excited to draw upon these experiences as I move into this new opportunity to serve and to lead at BH-BL. Burnt Hills has long been known and respected for excellence throughout the Suburban Council,` said McGrath in a statement.
McGrath’s experience with technology played a factor in the board’s decision. The district is in the midst of implementing a program entitled Framework for the 21st Century, which involves nine skills and nine teams of people to examine and integrate technology into learning.
Areas of the program include computer literacy and cultural diversity. The district has many goals connected to technology and school board member John Blowers said McGrath will “help us realize those goals” and move forward with technology learning.
“In our 75-year history we’ve had five superintendents, we pride ourselves on a supervisor’s long tenure, long term goals, strategies and consistency,” said Blowers.
McGrath, 44, and his wife Denise have four children. Two sons have already graduated from school and their daughter will be graduating from Mohonasen this June. Their third son is a preschooler, who is already excited, McGrath says, about becoming a Spartan.
McGrath holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in science education from the University at Albany, and he is a doctoral student there in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy.
