Half Hollow Hills Superintendent Patrick Harrigan to resign, take job in Oyster Bay-East Norwich schools
Patrick Harrigan has led the Half Hollow Hills school district since 2017. Credit: Half Hollow Hills school district
Half Hollow Hills Superintendent Patrick Harrigan will leave his job at the end of October to become the executive director of curriculum and instruction at the Oyster Bay-East Norwich school district, officials said.
Harrigan, 52, who has led the district since 2017, said he took the new job to focus more on the topics he loves about education. His impending departure was announced Friday by the school board.
"This exciting new opportunity will allow me to focus on the things I love most about the field of education including teaching and learning, curriculum development, and supporting teachers and administrators towards the goal of all students achieving excellence," Harrigan said in a statement. "At the same time, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have worked for nearly 20 years in Half Hollow Hills."
Harrigan could not be reached Thursday for further comment.
Harrigan is moving to a far smaller district, at a lower salary. At Half Hollow Hills, he led a school system of some 7,400 students and earned an annual salary of $361,060, records show. The Oyster Bay-East Norwich district educates about 1,400 students, and Harrigan's annual salary will be $195,000, records show.
Harrigan, who has worked in various administrative jobs for the Half Hollow Hills district since 2005, submitted his resignation soon after a controversy that drew 200 people to a recent school board meeting. Numerous speakers criticized the superintendent and district for removing a painting in a student’s parking spot that the district deemed politically charged.
A small number of seniors at Half Hollow Hills High School West who are class officers are granted a parking spot and allowed to paint it. The female student painted a watermelon along with some Arabic writing and a message saying "peace be upon you." The image of a watermelon has become an increasingly seen symbol of solidarity with Palestinians as the Israel-Hamas war continues.
The issue came to a head during the Sept. 16 school board meeting, during which several residents, many of them Muslim, said that removing the watermelon image from the lot at the Dix Hills school was a violation of the student's right to free speech and an insult to Muslims.
But other residents, several of them Jewish, supported the administration's action, saying the image was offensive to Jewish people, and asserted that it conveys a message against Israel.
Harrigan said at the time the district needs to maintain neutrality regarding controversial political matters, and an image painted on school property could be interpreted as a political statement supported by the district.
Half Hollow Hills has yet to announce an interim superintendent and will begin a search for a new leader, officials said.
School board president Diana Acampora thanked Harrigan for his service at Half Hollow Hills.
"On behalf of the board of education and our entire community, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Harrigan for his outstanding leadership, tireless commitment to our students, and unwavering dedication to educational excellence," Acampora said in a statement. "This is a great loss for all of us."
Acampora could not be reached Thursday for further comment.
Francesco Ianni, superintendent of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich district, said Harrigan will be a welcome addition to the school system.
"His many years of experience as a trusted and respected school leader adds great value to our team and aligns with our district's commitment to academic excellence," Ianni said in a statement. "We look forward to the positive impact he will have on both our staff and students."
Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
