Hires Tuckahoe administrator who will begin July 1

The Garrison school board announced on Wednesday (April 22) that it has hired a superintendent to succeed Laura Mitchell, who left in December.

Carl Albano, who was most recently superintendent of the Tuckahoe school district in Westchester County, will begin July 1, the board said. If the board approves a three-year contract at its May 6 meeting, as is expected, Albano will receive a salary of $198,000; he earned $255,000 in his last year at Tuckahoe, and Mitchell made $184,000. The Garrison district has had an interim superintendent, Debra Jackson, since January.

Carl Albano
Carl Albano at the Garrison School (Photo provided)

“One of his noteworthy accomplishments was leading the district through a comprehensive strategic planning process, which resulted in revised K-12 curricula, new and innovative course offerings, expanded co-curricula programs and increased student achievement,” the Garrison board said in a statement. “In addition, Mr. Albano successfully planned and managed a $9,987,000 capital project, which added instructional space, repaired infrastructure and enhanced safety.”

Added James Hoch, the school board president: “We are excited someone of Mr. Albano’s depth of experience will be joining the Garrison community.”

In a letter to the community dated April 27, Albano wrote: “My highest priority will be providing stability and continuity of education until the current COVID-19 pandemic is behind us.”

Albano became the Tuckahoe superintendent in 2016 after serving as the assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and pupil personnel services from 2012 to 2016 and the Tuckahoe Middle School principal from 2003 to 2012. Earlier in his career, Albano was an elementary school assistant principal, high school assistant principal and fifth-grade teacher.

He informed the Tuckahoe board in June 2019 that he planned to leave his position at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Instead, he left Dec. 2 and was replaced by an interim, Amy Goodman, who on April 22 was named by the Tuckahoe district as his successor.

Albano grew up in Mount Vernon and holds a bachelor of science in education from St. John’s University and a master’s in education from Pace University. He also studied school administration and supervision at Iona College and Fordham University.

Albano lives in Larchmont with his wife, Maria, who is a special education teacher in the Mamaroneck district, and their two children, Ava and Carl, the district said. His father, George Albano, is a longtime educator in Mount Vernon, and a cousin, also named Carl, is a Putnam County legislator.

Mitchell, who was hired as the Garrison superintendent in 2014, said in an email to parents last fall that she and the board had reached an “amicable mutual agreement” for her departure. In a statement dated Nov. 1, the board wrote that “after many months of deliberation” the district and Mitchell had “agreed to move in a new direction.”

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

A former longtime national magazine editor, Rowe has worked at newspapers in Michigan, Idaho and South Dakota and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Northwestern University. Location: Philipstown. Languages: English. Area of Expertise: General.

2 replies on “Garrison Names New Superintendent”

  1. The COVID-19 Era has brought many innovations in social, educational and economic life but one thing has not changed is the outrageous salaries being approved for school superintendents, an example of which is the Garrison School District. Nor for that matter has the pervasiveness of nepotism in Putnam County evaporated as the new superintendent is related to county Legislator Carl Albano. And where is fiscal responsibility and restraint evident as the new superintendent will be earning $198,000 to oversee a student population, at last count, of 212.

    There is no doubt that the cause of high taxes reflected in residents’ yearly tax bill, is the exorbitant administrative salaries afforded to school officials and the lack of real effort to reform and consolidate school districts. Years ago there was strong compulsion by the Department of Education toward consolidation but that initiative has been strongly resisted by Garrison and Haldane, two candidates for consolidation by any standard. And why is that?

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