West Canaan
Andrew, 49, announced his decision in a Jan. 17 letter to the School Board, saying the move comes after months of discussions with school district leaders.
“I think it is important to make public that it has long been my plan to move on to new challenges after the many successes we have accomplished over the past decade,” he wrote to the board.
Andrew, a Canaan resident with one son in the 8th grade and another in the 10th, said his resignation also comes at a time of change for his family.
“This is my 20th year and I’ve got kids in the system,” Andrew said in an interview on Tuesday. “I would like to be able to go to their graduation and be able to pay better attention to them.”
The superintendent position also has been the recent subject of controversy. Upset over budget increases, a group of 36 Mascoma residents took aim at Andrew earlier this month, submitting a warrant article asking district officials to find someone else for the job.
Andrew said the upcoming Town Meeting vote, which is non-binding, wasn’t part of his decision to leave.
But he shot back at the petitioners in his letter to the board, saying their effort could make it more difficult to find a replacement.
“If this article can be put forward for a superintendent, then why not a principal, teacher, librarian or support staff member?” Andrew wrote. “If this is a community known for turning to public humiliation for a tool for dismissal it will seriously shorten the list of applicants looking to come here and will likely convince some fantastic staff that are here to look elsewhere.”
The recent strife in the district’s five member towns already has come to the attention of many Granite State school administrators, Andrew said.
“I probably have talked to 10 superintendents who caught wind of it and asked what the heck is going on here,” he said. “It’s a very small state and we’re very well connected.”
But not everyone who signed the petition wanted Andrew to resign. John Franz, a former Dorchester Selectboard member who signed the article, called Andrew’s announcement “a shame.”
Instead of wanting a change in leadership, Franz said he signed the measure as a way of sending a message that taxes are too high.
“It’s like getting a warning from a police officer rather than a ticket,” he said.
Franz said Andrew taught his son high school biology years ago, and he respects that Andrew held several positions in the district before becoming superintendent.
Andrew’s tenure dates back to 1997, when he was hired as a science teacher at Mascoma Valley High School.
Over the next 15 years, he was promoted up the ranks to assistant principal, principal and then interim assistant superintendent in 2008.
In 2012, he was chosen to take over the top position after the retirement of former Superintendent Barbara Tremblay.
“I think I’ve done a pretty good job,” Andrew said on Tuesday.
During his time in the SAU office, the high school dropout rate decreased from 16 percent down to 2 percent, he said. Every high school junior also takes the SAT, and the district’s average scores consistently beat state and national averages.
Andrew also has worked to expand early childhood education in the district, and ushered efforts to pass and construct the $21.5 million renovation of Mascoma Valley High School.
School Board members and community leaders who work with Andrew also have denounced the effort to force him out, and expressed their support for him on Tuesday.
“I’ve never met anyone so involved, hands on and who takes care to really focus on the students and the students’ needs,” said Timothy Josephson, the school board’s vice chairman. “Mascoma has been incredibly lucky to have him.”
Andrew also has been a partner for community groups working with the district, said Holly West, president of the Friends of Mascoma Foundation, a group that supports the district with special projects and grants.
In an email, West said Andrew supported many of the group’s projects, including efforts to expand arts programs, award scholarships and create an in-school food pantry.
“He is a consummate professional and continues to be very enthusiastic and supportive of our organization’s efforts within the district,” West said. “His enthusiasm is contagious and we are thankful four our many collaborations over the years.”
School Board Chairwoman Cookie Hebert agreed with West, and said Andrew brings a professional and, at times, humorous personality to the job.
“Whoever gets him is going to be a very lucky district because we have been very fortunate under his leadership,” she said. “As a whole, it’s going to leave quite a void for (the board) when he leaves the district.”
Andrew said he intends to stay in the education profession when he leaves the district, and is looking for positions ranging from superintendent of another school district to possibly principal positions. In his remaining months, he also hopes to help the board develop a strategy to hire a replacement, regardless of whether they decide to hire from within the district or widely advertise for the position.
“I just want to emphasize that it’s a great place to work,” Andrew said, adding the entire community works together to make the district work for students.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.