|
Putnam Valley School’s Superintendent to Retire
“Great Visionary” called difficult to replace
by Margaret Sternberg
The Putnam Valley School District’s Superintendent, Gary Tutty, has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2006-7 school year.
Tutty said that he and his family felt it was time for him to retire, adding that he felt that he’d “done the best I could do for the district, and I hope that I’ve left the district in as good shape or better than when I came. I have the usual regrets; I’ve worked with great people and had terrific board, community and parental support and enjoyed working with all of the groups.”
Tutty said it had not been an easy decision to make because he had enjoyed the job, but that now that he was eligible to retire he wanted to spend more time with his family and his young grandchildren. Tutty, who will have been superintendent for four years, lived locally during the week and returned home to his family in upstate New York for the weekends.
The school year ends June 30, 2007, and School Board Vice President Guy Cohen said that superintendent searches typically take about six months; however, Cohen said that at least three local school districts, including neighboring Haldane, are currently trying to fill superintendent openings and that may cause the search to take longer. Superintendent Tutty said that he was willing to work with the district to make sure there is a smooth transition for the new superintendent.
His announcement has been met with tremendous regret on behalf of the district but also a feeling of happiness for him personally.
Vice President Cohen described Tutty as a “unique person in that he was able to talk to everyone,” also saying that of all the superintendents Cohen has worked with, the retirement of Tutty is the “greatest loss.” Cohen said the district is in “much better shape than we were before [Tutty’s hiring]” and that “I’ve worked with a lot of people, and he (Tutty) is just an amazing individual, respected by all facets of the community. [His leaving] is a loss to students, the community, all of us.”
Elaborating, Cohen explained that a superintendent needed to possess four qualities: be an educator, administrator, have financial acumen and have “personality.” Cohen said past superintendents always had most of the qualities, but not all. Tutty had all four, Cohen said, and the district has been exceptionally lucky to have had him and will have difficulty replacing him.
Dana Rose Lopez, current PTA Co-President, called Tutty a “wonderful individual and a blessing to the district.” She said that while she is sorry to see him go, she is happy for him and that he will get the chance to enjoy “life and his family; he deserves goodness. He has always been a great leader for us.” She said that parents speak highly of him and the way he handles issues, his “fair and respectful manner is appreciated by all,” also describing him as a “great visionary, supportive and a great teacher.” She said the inception of the eCorner meant “he was able to reach out to those otherwise unable to attend the meeting.”
Pam Adamovich, school nurse since 2000, said that he has “brought the community together, not just the students in school, but the whole community and related well to all age groups. It will be very difficult to find another superintendent who cares as much about the community he serves. Despite not being from the area, he was as involved as anyone…”
Jeannie Denike, past Co-President of the Putnam Valley PTA, said that he had been “wonderful to work with since Day 1. I think he’s been responsible for significantly changing the climate in the district. He’s touched so many people through eCorner whom he never had a chance to meet. He’s a true leader and a steady hand, influencing so many people and a great example too.” She, also, described Tutty as “unique” and said that his resignation was a great loss to the District and that he has “truly earned our respect, and we owe it to him to support him and congratulate him on his retirement and wish and hope for him the best because that’s what he’s given to the district. This is a huge loss to Putnam Valley.”
Providing local news, information and opinions from
Philipstown and Putnam Valley, NY
Encompassing the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville,
and the hamlet of Garrison, Putnam County, NY.
This site is a publication of The Putnam County News and Recorder, the source for news and information of the Philipstown
and Putnam Valley area. The PCN&R is 139
years old, published in hard copy every Wednesday, and circulated throughout Putnam
County, NY.
The PCN&R prints LEGAL NOTICES
for: Putnam County, The Town of Philipstown, The Town of Putnam Valley, Village of Cold Spring, Village of
Nelsonville, the Haldane Union Free School District and the Garrison Union Free School
District.
Deadline for printed press releases, advertisements and classifieds is Monday at noon for
Wednesday publication. This site is updated on an as-needed basis with a minimum update
weekly on Thursdays. For further information or to request a subscription to the paper, please
contact us with your name and mailing address at:
(845) 265-2468 PO Box 185, Cold Spring, NY 10516, or e-mail us at editor@pcnr.com
If you see an advertiser on line, tell them! | Click ads below
for larger version
System and Method for Display
Ads have a Patent Pending.
Click Here for More Information
|
