By:Anthony Rifilato
At the meeting, a budget work session, school board President James Scannell said that the board has included $25,000 in the administrative budget to search for a replacement.
Some in the audience seemed surprised by the announcement, which was somewhat nonchalant. Weiss commented briefly on her decision after the meeting, saying that it "has been something that was well thought out." Weiss has been an educator and administrator for 33 years, and said that it was time to retire.
The State Education Department reported that for the 2002-03 school year, the latest information available, Weiss' salary was $196,483, with $22,890 in benefits. But with raises in the superintendent's office included in last year's and this year's budgets, that could be higher.
Weiss' decision comes on the heels of announcements by other administrators that they will be retiring. Last month, Hollman, who came to Baldwin in 1996, surprised parents and others when he announced that he would retire at the end of this school year. His decision follows that of Deputy Superintendent for Administration Lee Chapman that he would retire this year as well.
"It's really their personal, lifestyle decisions," board member B.A. Schoen said.
While Weiss still has another school year to go, the number of administrators leaving the district has prompted the board to search for and hire replacements. Last year, the board hired Edward Cigna, assistant superintendent for business and administrative services.
The $25,000 the board has included in order to search for a replacement for Weiss would cover placing ads in The New York Times, hiring consultants, recruiting and screening potential superintendents for the job.
"The board is sorry to see her go," said Schoen. "We certainly hope that we can find someone as intelligent and hard-working as Dr. Weiss."
Weiss said that although she is gearing up to retire next year, she still has the entire school year ahead of her and remains committed to her job. When she does retire, she said, she will devote more time to one of her favorite hobbies, digital photography.
