The Byram Hills Board of Education yesterday announced that Jacquelyn Taylor would be the district’s next superintendent, effective July 1, 2008.

Taylor has served in Byram Hills for 11 years, most recently as deputy superintendent for curriculum and personnel.

The school board voted unanimously in support of Taylor, lauding her energy, enthusiasm and effectiveness.

She will take over for Superintendent John Chambers, who is set to retire at the end of the school year.

The Ossining school board also took the route of hiring a district veteran when they named Phyllis Glassman as superintendent, effective this past September. She has served the Ossining district for the past 16 years now.

In both instances, hiring from within helps the new leader to hit the ground running, not having to waste precious time getting to know the district.

Best of luck to Taylor in the new position.

Read on for the district’s full press release.

Byram Hills Names New Superintendent

At its public meeting on October 23, the board of education announced that Dr. Jacquelyn Taylor would be their choice as the next Byram Hills Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1, 2008. Dr. Taylor has already served in Byram Hills for 11 years, most recently as deputy superintendent for curriculum and personnel. The board was unanimous in this choice, lauding her energy, enthusiasm, and effectiveness, and celebrating the continuity of momentum and district success expected as a result of her appointment.

This news follows the recent announcement of incumbent Superintendent John Chambers’ wish to retire at the end of this school year. Chambers declared himself “delighted with this appointment, which is well deserved, very deliberately planned, and full of promise for the future of Byram Hills.�

Careful planning for leadership succession has, in fact, been an important priority for some time – the board has had a Succession Planning goal for two years, and has spent many hours in careful review of possibilities and prospects on all the key leadership positions in the district. Conscious from the time of his appointment as superintendent in 2001 that Mr. Chambers hoped to serve for a 5-10 year period, the board has been very thoughtful about looking ahead to the transition in its top leadership post. In recent months they have consulted with outside sources, including the New York State School Boards Association and the New York State Council of School Superintendents, and in recent weeks they have consulted with key individuals and groups within the district as well. The clear conclusion was for leadership succession calling on a highly capable and well proven leader from within, rather than pursuing an increasingly problematic outside search when more than 400 New York State superintendents are retiring over a five year period.

Dr. Taylor is already highly respected within and beyond Byram Hills. Her doctoral degree was earned from Fordham University in 1999, and she served earlier in her career as a teacher of special education, supervisor of special education, director of pupil personnel services, assistant superintendent in the Lakeland School District, and adjunct professor at Pace University and Manhattanville College. She is also a key member of the curriculum committee at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, a frequent resource within the high performing schools of the Tri-State Consortium, and a consultant to other school districts. In Byram Hills, she has instilled a commitment to continuous improvement, and other systems thinking toward the best student learning experiences.

Board President Ira Schulman, speaking for his colleagues, said: “We are fully confident that Byram Hills has, in Jackie Taylor’s appointment, secured the best possible candidate to lead our district and school community to still more excellence in the years ahead.� A large audience in attendance at the board meeting greeted the appointment with standing ovations.