Nancy Carney is set to return to the Springs School. After fast-tracking its search for a new superintendent late in 2023, the Springs School Board is poised to hire her as its new chief school administrator on Wednesday.
Ms. Carney retired as the superintendent of the Riverhead School District about seven years ago after spending about seven years in that post. She will succeed Debra Winter, who has been with Springs since July 1, 2017, and will soon relocate back to the South Fork from California to begin her new role here.
Ms. Carney had served as a principal at the Springs School from August 2002 through December 2003 and before that had been a fifth and sixth-grade teacher at the school.
“We are delighted to have a seasoned superintendent and former staff member of Springs taking over the helm on July 1, 2024, in a full-time position,” Barbara Dayton, the school board president, said in an announcement Monday morning.
Ms. Carney was among 33 people applying when Springs first announced the vacancy. Ms. Dayton said in November that 11 candidates were interviewed virtually and five were interviewed in person through an extensive committee-screening process.
She was to have been appointed Tuesday this week, but the inclement weather caused the school board meeting to be rescheduled to next week.
Ms. Carney retired from Riverhead in 2017, according to The Riverhead News-Review, which reported in December 2016 that she had been credited with passing a $78.3 million bond referendum in 2011 that expanded and modernized the facilities. The news website Riverhead Local previously reported that she had been a classroom teacher and elementary school principal earlier in her career, before becoming an assistant superintendent at Riverhead in 2005.
Her full contract will be a three-year agreement, running through June 30, 2027, at a starting salary of $210,000. She will join the Springs administration earlier than July 1, however: Starting Feb. 1, she will serve as deputy superintendent for 10 days per month at the same per diem rate that Ms. Winter now receives, which is $850. Ms. Winter will continue to work 10 days per month.
Ms. Dayton said in the announcement that “we are bringing Ms. Carney on earlier than expected so she can focus on the business office, budget, and contract negotiations, which we believe will set her up for greater success when she steps into the full-time position.”
Ms. Dayton said yesterday she is “excited for this next phase in Springs.”
“She is so experienced and had a great track record when she was in Riverhead,” Ms. Dayton said. “She knows our school and will be living locally. With her qualifications, her demeanor, and her references, which were just outstanding, we are extremely comfortable with this choice. I think this is really going to be a great fit.”