Tom Dolan will return to North Shore School District as interim superintendent on July 1 following Superintendent Chris Zublionis’ departure on June 30. He previously held the position in the 2021-22 school year, before Zublionis was hired as superintendent.
Zublionis and Board of Education President Andrea Macari sent letters to the community in April addressing the district’s residents after the announcement that Zublionis had accepted the superintendent position at Plainedge Union Free School District. At that time, Macari confirmed that Dolan would serve during the transition.
“I’m honored to be considered,” Dolan said. “I’m flattered that the district thinks that I have something to offer, and I’m as excited as a rookie.”
He said he thought he retired in 2016 from Great Neck Public Schools but could not turn down the opportunity to serve as interim president at Nassau Community College, which arose shortly after.
Dolan has taken on several roles across districts since then, including interim superintendent at Sewanhaka Central High School District in 2023-24. Most recently, he served as part time Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum at North Babylon School District this year.
“Very luckily, the phone has continued to ring, and I am still vigorous and excited,” Dolan said. “And I love to work.”
Macari said the board immediately considered Dolan for the interim superintendent position upon learning that Zublionis would be leaving. She described choosing him for the role as a “no brainer.”
“Dr. Dolan is a heavyweight in Long Island education,” Macari said. “He is already familiar with North Shore, having served as our interim superintendent before. So, this transition will be seamless since he can hit the ground running.”
Dolan praised North Shore’s faculty and administrators as an “all-star team” and said that Zublionis is leaving the district better than it was when he started as superintendent.
The settlement between Nassau County and Long Island Power Authority Glenwood Landing may cause a loss in revenue for the school district in 2027-28 greater than it has in previous years. Macari said she is grateful Dolan will be stepping in as the district faces this.
“To know that we have someone who cares so deeply about education while we’re confronted with some really scary things,” she said, “does put my mind at ease.”
When Dolan last served as North Shore’s interim superintendent, he wrote a letter to the community in which he predicted that Covid-19 would no longer present a major problem. He described the letter as “foolish.”
“I’ve learned that you really can’t predict what any given school year is going to hold,” Dolan said. “I don’t know what the challenges are going to be, but we will meet them together and make for a great year for every single kid.”
Dolan listed a “talented” student body, dedicated and involved parents, and strong academic, extracurricular and athletic programs as reasons he admires the district. He named learning about the board of education’s priorities, catching up on recent occurrences and getting to know those he has not worked with before as his primary intentions.
Macari said in April that the board hopes to choose a search firm to help find a new superintendent by the end of June and hopes to have a superintendent in place by July 2027.
Interim superintendents are not directly involved in the process of finding a new superintendent. But Macari said she believes that Dolan’s experience may give him insight into what North Shore needs.
“I’d be really open to hearing his ideas,” she said, “on what type of candidate could push our schools or could make our schools even more exceptional.”
When Dolan previously worked at North Shore, he visited all five schools and observed extracurricular activities like theater productions and sports. He called this “management by wandering around” and explained that he does not plan to be confined to his office.
“I like walking around, sticking my head in, seeing what’s going on,” Dolan said. “(I) love asking kids, ‘Hey, what’s up? What’s going on?’ and learning from them.”
Retired North Shore Middle School teacher and resident of the district Rob Hert described the decision to bring Dolan back as “outstanding” in a message to the Herald on Tuesday.
“I have had the privilege of witnessing Dr. Dolan’s superb support for our district in recent years,” Hert wrote. “I have complete confidence that Dr. Dolan will represent North Shore with pride and help sustain North Shore’s vibrant educational culture.”
