At A Time of Turmoil In The world of Education OF Our Children !

Pearl River NY

13 May, 2022

11:00 AM

Description

This story starts in Bergen County but is more typical than rare. This was written , not by me, but the local press and has gone viral. RAMSEY — Schools Superintendent Matthew Murphy, who shepherded his 2,804-student district through a $43 million five-school renovation and introduced full-day kindergarten, announced his retirement Wednesday after nine years with the district. Murphy said he informed the Board of Education after its meeting Tuesday and sent an email to the Ramsey and Saddle River communities on Wednesday. No date for his departure was announced. Murphy said he would "work with the board to provide a complete and smooth transition for the next lucky leader of the Ramsey school district." "The Board of Education will release a statement over the next few days to begin the process of searching for and selecting the next superintendent," Murphy said. "I am ready for a new adventure while I am still healthy and my wife still talks to me." School board President Laura Behrmann praised Murphy on Wednesday for his "lasting impact" on the district through such programs as Profile of a Ramsey Graduate, Ramsey Stigma Free and "numerous mental health initiatives." "We have been so fortunate to have a leader dedicated not only to our district but also the entire Ramsey community," Behrmann said in an email statement. COMMUNICATOR AWARD:Ramsey schools superintendent wins Communicator of the Year Award Perhaps Murphy's greatest challenge was corralling community support for a $42 million spending proposal in December 2018 to renovate the district's five school buildings. Voters subsequently approved a measure to finance full-day kindergarten staff in a November 2019 referendum. Murphy, 54, joined the district as superintendent in July 2013. He was previously superintendent of the River Vale K-8 district. Before that, he was principal of Berkeley Elementary School and later assistant superintendent in the Westwood Regional School District. He also served as a fifth-grade teacher and assistant principal at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff. In 2006, Murphy was named Principal of the Year by the New Jersey Principal and Supervisor's Association. In December 2015, he was named School Superintendent of the Year for the northern New Jersey region by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. He was named the first Communicator of the Year by the New Jersey School Public Relations Association in June 2020. But the story does not end there. Matt is very active in the world of mental illness and its corresponding spin offs. To everyone's benefits, Matt's expertise in these matters were added to his thinking about how to best serve the entire community, which includes all its children. Observing Matt for his entire life [he is my son], I have a deep deep appreciation of our children's educators role in our world. It's invaluable and noble.