School board names Erceg interim superintendent

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. >> The school board has appointed Deputy Superintendent Daniel Erceg to take over for outgoing Superintendent Kirk Reinhardt on an interim basis beginning Friday, March 31.

Board President Robert Thomann said Thursday, Feb. 23, the position will pay a stipend of $150 per day in addition to Erceg’s annual salary of $136,168.

“He has served as the director of Human Resources and … (has) a vision for all students to achieve their highest potential,” he said. “When you talk to Dan one of his goals is to have Saugerties be one of the top-ranked school districts in New York state. That’s the push of all the administrative team right now.”

Thomann added that officials expect to determine next month what type of process will be used to fill the position on a long-term basis.

“There’s a few options out there about how you would conduct a search …ranging from internal postings to a nationwide search,” he said. “We anticipate we’re going to talk about that at the next board meeting.”

Reinhardt, who was hired by the Saugerties district as superintendent in 2019 and has a current salary of $189,000 annually, will return to the Kingston school system as Kingston High School’s principal from April 1 through May 31. He will then become the district’s superintendent for teaching and learning under a three-year contract that pays $209,000 annually.

Thomann said Reinhardt’s decision came as a surprise and a disappointment because the improvements under him have been significant. “I think he accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time,” he said.

Among the significant changes led by Reinhardt in Saugerties was redistricting based on the conversion of the former Mount Marion Elementary School to a learning center. Thomann said that effort did generate controversy but was an example of the leadership needed in the district and the temperament required of administrators faced with difficult decisions.

“There were comments all over the place criticizing him and praising him,” he said. “I think anybody in that administrative position and school board members, too, are facing an onslaught of commentary on social media. Sometimes the opinions aren’t well-informed and they appear as personal attacks, so that’s just something everybody has to cope with in education these days.”