Hicksville school superintendent is leaving post next week

Longtime Hicksville school Superintendent Maureen Bright's last day in the position is Thursday, according to a statement posted Friday on the district's website.

"Due to issues which have arisen between the parties, it has been mutually agreed that the superintendent's relationship with the district end effective July 31, 2014," the notice reads.

The school board and Bright "acknowledge that it is in their mutual best interest to resolve the issues between them in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement entered into between the parties," the statement says.

District officials declined to comment yesterday, saying it was a personnel matter. Bright, 63, who has been superintendent for 12 years, could not be reached for comment.

A Newsday database of figures from the state Department of Education showed that Bright was to receive a total compensation package of $338,867 in the 2013-14 school year, including $271,230 in salary.

Joan Deem, an art teacher at Hicksville High School who is president of the Hicksville Congress of Teachers, said Bright had intended to retire in June 2015, at the end of the coming school year.

"It was a little surprising it happened so quickly," Deem said.

She said she did not know details of the settlement between Bright and the district.

Bright, a past president of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents, also worked in the district for several years before becoming its chief.

"I think that she and the board together have worked very hard to do very good things for the children and the community of Hicksville, along with the teachers union and the educational professionals," Deem said.

The board posted notice of a special meeting Wednesday with the topic "superintendent search." The meeting is set for 7 p.m. in the administration building.

The district's enrollment in kindergarten through 12th grade was 5,231 in the 2012-13 school year, the latest figures available from the state Department of Education.