Arcadia Schools Superintendent Mimi Hennessy Announces Retirement
By Monrovia Weekly
Published: Friday, May 9th, 2008
Arcadia Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Mimi Hennessy has announced that she will retire in August. The announcement came at the May 6 Arcadia Board of Education meeting.
An educator for over 40 years, Hennessy has been an administrative leader in Arcadia since she began in 1987. She was appointed Arcadia’s superintendent in 1999.
In announcing her plans to retire, Hennessy praised staff, the Board of Education, parents and the community as quality and caring people who she has been fortunate to work with in providing educational excellence for the students of Arcadia. “Working together we have built a culture of respect, hard work, and collaboration in pursuit of our shared vision.” “It has been a privilege for me to be a part of this team” she stated. (Note: Included below is the complete text of Dr. Hennessy’s comments to staff.)
Hennessy earned her BA from Scripps College, her MA from Claremont Graduate School, and her Doctorate from Brigham Young University. Prior to coming to Arcadia schools, Hennessy held a number of positions in the Ontario-Montclair School District ranging from classroom teacher, school principal and the district’s Director for Certificated Personnel and Staff Development.
Hennessy indicated that the Board of Education has begun the process of selecting a new superintendent however the details of the selection are not public at this time.
The following is a letter from Ms. Hennessy regarding her decision:
Dear Colleagues,
Tonight at the Board meeting, I announced my intent to retire in August at the end of this school year. Knowing how much I will miss the wonderful people I have been fortunate to work with in Arcadia made this decision difficult.
This is an excellent district because of the quality and caring of the people who work here. Working together we have built a culture of respect, hard work, and collaboration in pursuit of our shared vision. It has been a privilege for me to be a part of this team.
I am so proud of all the progress we have made together and also realize there is much still to be done to reach our goals of giving every child a challenging, meaningful, engaging, and personally nurturing educational experience. Come September, I will miss the daily challenges of this work, but I know that it will go on in your capable hands.
There is no question that the State budget woes have had an impact on us this decade, and this year’s cuts are the latest blow; however our goal continues to be to make the required reductions in ways which will minimize the impact on our important programs for our students and on our staff, and to do what is in our power to keep this district financially sound.
Our facilities improvement program is well underway, and we will be beginning construction on all first phase schools this summer! I feel confident that we have established a structure to assure that every phase will get its full share. The inconveniences of construction will try everyone’s patience, but hang in there; the result will be worth it.
The Board has begun the process of selection for a new superintendent. I know their shared commitment is to select a leader for this district that will continue to advance our vision and will share our core values for a collaborative culture. Our current Board includes both veteran and newer members, but it is clear they each bring a high caliber of thoughtful consideration and judgment to the decision making process. It has been a true pleasure to work with them and I know with certainty that this Board will continue to represent AUSD with caring and courageous leadership.
There is so much that I would still love to be a part of here; even after over 40 years as a teacher, principal, and central office administrator, I continue to get excited at new ideas and opportunities to improve learning and connection for kids! But I realize our job will never be “done” and everyone has to stop sometime. I feel so lucky to know that this district and our piece of public education are in such great hands, with outstanding staff, a great school board, and caring leadership. My life personally and professionally has been enriched by all of you.
With abiding respect and regard,
Mimi Hennessy
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