Upper St. Clair Superintendent announces his retirement

From: "Upper St. Clair School District" <potoole@uscsd.k12.pa.us>
Date: Jan 23, 2018 6:40 AM
Subject: Important Message from Dr. O'Toole

January 23, 2018

Dear Upper St. Clair Families:

After 39 years in education, the past 11 of which I have served as superintendent at Upper St. Clair, I officially notified the Board of Directors last evening of my intent to retire. My retirement is effective at the end of my present contract, which concludes on June 30, 2018.

It has been the greatest honor of my career to serve USC as an educational leader. I never imagined having this opportunity to work with such talented faculty, support staff and administration.

I will do everything possible to ensure that there is a smooth transition to a new superintendent. I have confidence that the future of our district is bright because of our exceptional staff who deliver such a terrific educational experience for our students and community.

Below is the full text of the press release, which is also posted on our District website.

Sincerely,

Patrick T. O'Toole
Superintendent of Schools


Following a career in public education that spans 39 years, Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole, superintendent of the Upper St. Clair School District, announced his pending retirement, effective June 30, 2018. The school board approved his retirement during its meeting on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018.

“It has been the greatest honor of my career to serve the community of Upper St. Clair,” Dr. O’Toole said. “I never imagined having this opportunity to work with such talented educational leaders, faculty, support staff and students.”

Serving as Upper St. Clair’s superintendent of schools since March 2007, Dr. O’Toole has provided effective leadership of numerous projects and programs. He focused the district’s vision for these initiatives on a new tagline: “Customizing Learning, Nurturing Potential and Delivering Excellence.” Throughout his tenure he led two strategic plans; the expansion of STEAM opportunities through the district’s 1:1 initiative and the creation of the Innovation Hubs at the middle and high schools; the enhancement of the Professional Learning Communities model in all six USC schools; the renovation of Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools; and the current capital project effort.

Dr. O’Toole also led the district through its most difficult financial times brought on by the 2008 recession. A result of this work is the district’s advancement initiative that secures private and grant funding for district programs.

“I cannot find adequate words to thank the board members who took a chance when hiring me in 2007 and those who have supported me through the years,” Dr. O’Toole said. “Most of all, I thank my wife and son for their many sacrifices throughout my career.”

Members of the Upper St. Clair School Board expressed their appreciation for Dr. O’Toole and the impact he has had on the school district.

“Dr. O’Toole often shares how fortunate he is to work at Upper St. Clair School District; in fact, it is our community, our staff, our school board and, most importantly, our students who have been fortunate to have benefited from his leadership for more than a decade,” Amy Billerbeck, school board president, said. “He has led Upper St. Clair with vision, integrity, and professionalism. We wish him well in his retirement.”

For Mrs. Billerbeck, Dr. O’Toole’s most impactful initiative was leadership development. During his first few years at Upper St. Clair, he implemented the “Total Leaders” program bringing in nationally known education innovator, Charles Schwahn to work with the district’s administration. The program quickly expanded to include teaching staff and sparked innovative leadership programming for students at nearly all grade levels.

“Dr. O’Toole’s vision of developing and nurturing leadership throughout the district has been transformational,” Mrs. Billerbeck said. “Through his efforts we are extremely fortunate to have strong, highly capable leaders at every level of our organization.”

Upper St. Clair School District has garnered national praise for several innovative programs initiated under his leadership. In 2013, Upper St. Clair School District was recognized with the National School Boards Association Magna Award for its Student Leadership Academy that helps students at all levels understand how they can change the world through their leadership. This program was an outgrowth of the leadership initiative started by Dr. O’Toole. The district earned another Magna Award – this time a Grand Prize Winner – in 2017 for SHOP@USC, a student-run business within the high school’s Innovation Hub that operates fully through the collaboration between students with significant disabilities and their same age peers without disabilities.

In November 2017, Upper St. Clair High School was named one of only 25 schools nationwide to be selected as a national model of Innovative Successful Practices by the Successful Practices Network and AASA, The School Superintendents Association. Upper St. Clair High School ranks among the top high schools in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s list of 2017 Best High Schools. For the second year in a row, Upper St. Clair School District was named among the nation’s 2017 Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation.

Personally, Dr. O’Toole earned numerous honors for his leadership and contributions to the field of education. The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators honored him with the 2010 Service to the Professional Award and named him the 2012 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year. Also in 2012, he received the Distinguished Educator Award from the Tri-State Area School Study Council.

In addition to his duties as superintendent, Dr. O’Toole has provided leadership to the greater education profession. He served as president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators during 2016-17; president of Tri-State Area School Study Council from 2013 through 2015; and treasurer of the South Hills Area School Districts Association from 2009 through present. He has also served as a presenter on numerous educational topics including best practices, student achievement, customized learning, flexible scheduling and student leadership at regional, state and national level conferences and institutes.

Prior to joining the leadership staff at Upper St. Clair, Dr. O’Toole served as superintendent in the South Butler County and Shenango Area school districts. In addition, he has served as a high school principal, assistant high school principal and elementary teacher.

A graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Dr. O’Toole holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He earned a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate in administration and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2016, Clarion University honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. O’Toole resides in Cranberry Township with his wife, Tracey, a chemistry teacher in the Seneca Valley School District, and their son, Patrick.

The school board is now tasked with naming Dr. O’Toole’s successor – widely considered the board’s most important duty. Planning for this decision began with the district’s 2015-2020 strategic plan and related board goals, which were adopted in February 2017. In accordance with the board goals, officials have been evaluating the district’s leadership succession plan throughout the past year.

“We have been very intentional with succession planning over the past several years, and have the utmost confidence in our Upper St. Clair administrators and their ability to lead,” Mrs. Billerbeck said. “The board has already begun the work of evaluating a successor to Dr. O’Toole. We are very fortunate to have strong, committed leaders in place, and will not need to undertake an external search.“

According to Mrs. Billerbeck, the school board could appoint the next superintendent early this spring to ensure a seamless transition in leadership.