Greene prepares to bid farewell to superintendent

GREENE – Before the beginning of next school year, the Greene Central School District will bid fairwell to the administrator who has lead the district for the past four years.

“I certainly wish the best for the Greene School community and I hope I’ve been a positive influence during my time here,” said Superintendent Gary Smith, who will be retiring on August 31.

Smith informed the board in March of his intention to retire.

“My priorities have changed,” he said, explaining his decision. Smith and his wife, who were married in 2007, plan to relocate to the Syracuse area after his retirement. He will spend more time with his family, he said, watching his youngest daughter’s play collegiate soccer and visiting his two-year-old grandchild outside of Toronto.

Under Smith’s leadership, Greene has excelled, but the man is modest about his contributions.

“It was a solid district when I got here, and I hope I’m leaving it as strong if not stronger than I found it,” Smith said, referring to continued strength of the district’s academic programs.

During his time at Greene, the district has not only continued its exemplary performance on state assessments, but also received recognition on both the state and national level for its achievements. In both 2008 and 2009, Greene made US News and World Report’s list of the best high schools in the country, and both the high school and middle school have been recognized as one of the 10 highest performing schools in New York by a University of Albany study. Last year, Greene was acknowledged as having the highest graduation rate in a three-county area.

While he is proud of these accomplishments, Smith is quick to give credit where he says it is due: with the district’s administrative team and dedicated faculty and staff.

One of Smith’s legacies will likely be the $36.1 million dollar capital project started this year. The project, he said, “will position the district to move forward into the 21st Century in a cost effective fashion, so that we are frugal with the tax payers dollars.”

The most visible portion of the project may be the construction of a new artificial turf field at the middle/high school campus and an addition at the intermediate school, but by far the largest chunk of the project will be in infrastructure improvements and upgrades throughout the district. That work will include a new geo-thermal heating and ventilation system in the middle/high school.