Pennsbury School District

134 Yardley Avenue Fallsington, PA 19058-0338

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: ANN LANGTRY
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
215-428-4178

School Board Announces Nomination of

Kevin J. McHugh, Ed.D. as Next Superintendent of
Pennsbury

(FALLSINGTON, PA – May 12, 2011) At the May 12 meeting of the School Board,
Kevin J. McHugh, Ed.D. was nominated for appointment as the next Superintendent of
Schools. The nomination was announced by Board President Gene Dolnick, who served
on the Superintendent Search Committee with School Directors Simon Campbell, Linda
Palsky, and Allan Weisel. It is anticipated that the School Board will vote on the
appointment at the regular meeting on May 19. Public comment is invited and welcome.
Dr. McHugh would replace Paul B. Long, Ed.D., Pennsbury’s Chief Executive Officer,
who will be retiring.

Dr. McHugh has served as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for
Pennsbury since 2008. During that time, Dr. McHugh has been involved in all aspects of
School District operations with primary responsibility for teaching and learning. As Chief
Academic Officer, he supervises 16 school principals and 18 curriculum and
departmental coordinators, and he oversees K-12 curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Dr. McHugh led initiatives to ensure that every student demonstrates proficiency in
mathematics and reading in order to qualify for graduation. In addition, major
curriculum renewal efforts have occurred in recent years in Pennsbury under Dr.
McHugh’s leadership. Specific content areas that underwent intensive renewal included
K-12 mathematics, K-5 language arts, middle school science, middle school language
arts, high school reading, high school English, and technology. Equitable access to
rigorous curriculum for all students is a continuous goal in Pennsbury, and Dr. McHugh
has been instrumental in promoting this concept.

Having first joined Pennsbury in 1996 as principal of Pennwood Middle School, Dr.
McHugh was named “Pennsylvania Principal of the Year” in 2001. He went on to win the
impressive distinction of “National Principal of the Year” in 2002. This recognition was
awarded by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Dr. McHugh earned his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Lehigh
University in 1999. His dissertation on principal leadership and the motivation of groups
earned the National Middle Level Dissertation of the Year Award that same year. He has
been an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Lehigh, having taught on campus and in Lugano,
Switzerland, and has been a presenter at numerous state and national conferences. He
holds a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Temple
University.

Administrators in Pennsbury perform multiple roles in the advancement of the School

District each year, and Dr. McHugh is no exception. Prior to his appointment as Assistant
Superintendent, he served as a founding member of the District Core Data Team, co-
directed the Pennsbury School District Strategic Planning process, served as a member of
the Technology Advisory Council, wrote and received multiple grants, designed and
implemented curriculum initiatives for math and literacy remediation courses, co-led
curriculum renewal projects, and also designed and coordinated in-service training for
Pennsbury educators.

Before coming to Pennsbury, Dr. McHugh held teaching and administrative positions in
the Methacton, Lower Moreland Township, and Wallingford-Swarthmore school
districts.

The Superintendent search began in January of this year, when Dr Long announced that
he plans to retire after the current school year. The Board then reached out to Dr. Barry
Galasso, Executive Director of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (I.U.) #22, to manage
the selection process with assistance from Bettie Ann Rarrick, Human Resources Director
for Pennsbury. A total of 25 candidates submitted applications.

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