Northport-E. Northport superintendent to resign in 2015

The superintendent of the Northport-East Northport school district has announced she will resign effective July 21, 2015.

Superintendent Marylou McDermott, in a statement posted on the district's website, said she is resigning to "pursue other professional opportunities." She currently has four years left on her contract.

"While it is bittersweet to leave the professional home where I have lived for the last eight years, I am excited about the future and the possibilities that lie ahead," she said in the statement.

McDermott, 61, has led the 5,877-student district since 2006. Her total annual compensation is $325,767, with $244,708 in salary and the remainder in benefits and other remuneration, according to the state Department of Education.

Board officials lauded her work, saying they wish her well and will be sad to see her go.

Stephen Waldenburg, the immediate past board president, said Tuesday he is the only trustee still on the board who participated in the search for and hiring of McDermott.

"I still think, as I did then, that she's a tremendous person and tremendous superintendent," said Waldenburg, who was board president for five years.

He said he doesn't have specific details about McDermott's plans after she steps down.

Julia Binger, the new board president, said McDermott's "long list of achievements since 2006 helped Northport-East Northport meet and exceed our goals."

"Our hope is to recruit another leader that can continue the history of continuity and stability practiced by Dr. McDermott and her predecessors," Binger said in a statement.

The district had a 91 percent graduation rate in the 2006-07 school year, which dipped to 89 percent in 2007-08, state Education Department figures show. Since then, the rate has ranged from 92 percent in the 2008-09 school year to 96.7 percent in 2012-13, the latest state figures available.

The school board, in a statement, said it first will have discussions about "recruitment avenues" to find a successor.

McDermott worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and central office administrator in several Nassau County school districts before coming to Northport-East Northport. She replaced William Brosnan, who retired, the statement said.

The superintendent, in her statement, said she has "steadfastly dedicated the last eight years to improving all aspects of the district's operation, including student programs, staffing needs, facilities and budget development during these challenging economic times."