The School District of Upper Dublin announced yesterday that it has selected Dr. Steven M. Yanni as the next superintendent of schools. Dr. Yanni is currently the superintendent of the New Hope-Solebury School District.
The Board will vote to approve a contract with Yanni at the school board meeting on Monday, May 14.
“The Board is extremely excited about Dr. Yanni joining the School District of Upper Dublin as its next Superintendent,” said School Board President Dr. Art Levinowitz. “I believe Dr. Yanni is a perfect match for our district.”
Yanni began his position as superintendent of his current district in December of 2015. Previously he served the district as the assistant superintendent from 2013-2015. Prior to his work at New Hope-Solebury, Yanni served as the director of curriculum and as an elementary school principal for East Pennsboro School District. He has also served as an elementary and middle school teacher in Gaston County Schools in North Carolina and the Twin Valley School District in Berks County, PA.
“I am both honored and humbled to be selected as the finalist to be the next Superintendent of the School District of Upper Dublin,” said Yanni. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the school board, staff, students, parents and the community. As an educator, I am committed to providing all students with exceptional educational experiences in a safe and respectful environment, which will ensure they become productive members of an ever-changing global society.”
Yanni’s appointment will conclude a comprehensive four-month process that began in early February with the announcement of Superintendent Dr. Deborah Wheeler’s retirement on July 4, 2018.
The Board screened 40 applicants and invited 17 candidates for first-round screening interviews. At the conclusion of first-round interviews, eight candidates advanced to second-round interviews. Following second-round interviews, the Board selected two candidates to return for third round interviews. Yanni emerged as the finalist for the position of superintendent at that time.
In preparation for its rigorous candidate selection process, the Board gathered stakeholder input from a series of staff, parent and community focus groups held in March and April. In addition, an electronic survey was also developed to gather stakeholder input from those members of the school and the community who were unable to attend the focus groups.
According to Levinowitz, the top themes that emerged from the focus groups and the survey were that the new superintendent needed to possess the following qualities: communicates with all stakeholders; demonstrates the courage of convictions; is an experienced school leader/educator; models integrity, trust and respect; understands the needs of special populations; is able to unify staff, students, parents and community; builds morale and school pride; and demonstrates financial and fiduciary responsibility.
“I believe that over his 14 years in public education, from his early days as an elementary school teacher to his most recent experience as both an assistant superintendent and a superintendent, Dr. Yanni has clearly demonstrated all these traits,” said Levinowitz. “We look forward to introducing him to the community on Monday, May 14.