‘It’s only gotten better’
Next superintendent a longtime resident of the district
Education wasn’t an early love for Bill McKay.
Growing up near Pittsburgh, he loved the outdoors. That’s why when he headed to college, at Slippery Rock University and Temple University, he pursued a degree in resource management.
It’s why he took an internship as a recreation director and worked at a handful of state parks.
But in the process of all that, McKay discovered something. He got a chance to teach a bit, leading outdoor education courses. He loved it.
“It was really all about that connection with people, being able to impact people’s lives in a positive way,” he said.
So, McKay went back to school and got certified to teach.
His new path lead him to his first job in education, teaching elementary school in the Wilson School District. After 10 years there, he moved on to become assistant principal at Twin Valley Middle School.
He later took a post as principal of Robeson Elementary School in Twin Valley School District, a job he held for 17 years.
“It was an amazing school,” McKay said. “I thought I would retire there.”
But a new and interesting opportunity changed McKay’s path again. Ever since he started his first teaching job, McKay has lived in Cumru Township.
His wife, Janemarie, is a Gov. Mifflin graduate and had taught in the district. All three of his kids went to school in the district.
“I was tied to the Gov. Mifflin community,” he said.
So when a job opened five years ago for an assistant superintendent in the district, it seemed like a perfect fit. He knew the district’s superintendent, Dr. Steve Gerhard, having worked with him in the Twin Valley School District.
“I kind of knew Steve. I knew his philosophy,” McKay said. “We had a match in our thinking. It was one of those too-good-to-not-throw-myhat-in-the-ring opportunities.”
McKay was hired.
La s t week, the district announced the 55-year-old McKay had been hired for another job. He was named Mifflin’s superintendent, taking over for Gerhard, who has taken a post as assistant executive director of the Chester County Intermediate Unit.
McKay will take over Jan. 1.
‘We’re in a good place’
He said he is honored and humbled by the trust the school board has put in him, saying he is excited and ready to take on the challenges the job entails. That includes continuing to lead the district through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Certainly it’s daunting when you stop and think about the safety of staff and students,” he said of taking over leadership of a school district during a public health crisis. “But because I was part of everything I know the amount of time and effort and energy put into making the school environment and format as safe as possible. I know we’re in a good place, so while it’s daunting it’s also reassuring.”
McKay said the idea of leading the district where he lives, that his family has been so entwined with for three decades, holds special significance for him.
“To me it’s really exciting because of knowing the community,” he said. “The community is dynamic, it’s growing, it’s growing more diverse. It’s only gotten better over the last 30 years.
“It’s a nice place for me to be because I’m so connected to the community. People are coming here to have their children have a great education and to be part of that is humbling and hugely exciting.
McKay said he plans to continue to be a visible part of the school community and the community at large. That’s something that can be a bit difficult for an administrator, he admitted.
“When I first went into administration it was hard to figure out how to be part of the school,” he said. “As a principal you have so many phone calls and emails, it’s easy to get trapped in your office. You really have to plan things into your calendar, going to sporting events, going to concerts, visiting classrooms.
“You just have to be part of the fabric of the community, to have conversations with people. Otherwise you don’t really know what’s going on.”
‘Make a bigger impact’
Despite the difficulties being a school administrator presents, McKay said it is also extremely rewarding.
“You’re always looking to try to make a bigger impact,” he said. “As an elementary teacher you have 25 or 30 students. That’s great, and you make a huge impact on their lives, you’re with them every day.
“But as I went through the years, I found that I really wanted to be able to impact other students, and also staff members. The best way to do that was to go from a teacher to an administrator.”
McKay said he has enjoyed being able to work with talented teachers during his career as an administrator, and to see the impact his work can have on an entire school district.
“It can be the most challenging profession, but I don’t believe there’s any other profession that has as much of a positive impact on a daily basis,” he said.
McKay hopes to continue the work already in progress in the district.
That includes a focus on literacy.
“We really want to turn students on to reading,” he said
McKay said he will continue to lead the district through literacy initiatives, including one that will help provide books to households in the district.
“There shouldn’t be anybody out there who doesn’t have access to books,” he said
McKay also said that under his leadership the district will the work on its equity coalition, which is addressing issues like how equity impacts instructions, recruiting a diverse staff and engaging families in the community.