Kaden: New Superintendent to be Named by May

A decision on the hiring of the next South Huntington School Superintendent should come by May, according to School Board President Jim Kaden.

"Our original goal was to have someone in place or to hire someone by the end of April, that may slip into May," said Kaden, at a meeting at  Wednesday. 

With the resume submission deadline now closed, Kaden did not confirm to Patch the exact number of applicants, saying it was a "bunch," and more than 20. 

An ad in sought South Huntington superintendent candidates with “experience in a similar district in both size and cultural diversity," and a "thorough familiarity with the complexities of education law and finance.”

The ad refered to a “nationally and regionally competitive salary and benefits package” but did not cite specifics. Outgoing Superintendent Thomas Shea's salary is listed as $331,344.

Shea announced in September that he planned to retire after 14 years in the district, including serving as superintendent since 2003. Originally from East Meadow, Shea served for 42 years as a teacher and administrator during his career.

Shea will join his family in Arizona after finishing out the school year, according to school district sources. Shea declined a Patch interview request regarding his accomplishments and future plans.

In September, Shea said he has no plans to transfer to another school district. "It's time to devote more time to my family," he said.

Shea’s retirement will be the second at a public district in Huntington in the last 12 months.  Last summer, James Polansky, previously an assistant superintendent in South Huntington, took over as Huntington’s school superintendent, replacing the John Finello who .

Finello was earlier this year.