In Fall 2014, LMSD superintendent of six years, Dr. McGinley, will be leaving LMSD to work at Temple University as a professor and co-chair of the Educational Leadership graduate programs. In this exclusive interview with the Banner, you can learn more about Dr. McGinley and how he has profoundly influenced our school district!

1. What are your responsibilities as superintendent of the school district?

As superintendent I am responsible for the daily operations of the school district and the quality of the instructional program.  I am also responsible for budgeting, resource allocation and planning for the future needs of the school district.  Technically I am the only person in the school district who works directly for the elected Board of School Directors and everyone else in the school district works for me.  For many parents, I am seen as a problem solver and an advocate.  For many students, I am just the guy who closes school when it snows and gives a speech at graduation.

2. What did you do prior to your time at LMSD? How long have you served as LMSD superintendent?

I started my career as a special education teacher in Philadelphia and I worked there for eighteen years as a teacher, school principal, and central office administrator.  I moved to the suburbs fifteen years ago, taking the position of Assistant Superintendent and then Superintendent in Cheltenham School District.  Just prior to coming to Lower Merion, I was the Executive Director of Delaware County Intermediate Unit.

3. What would you consider your biggest accomplishment as superintendent? Which accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the leadership team that I have put in place at the schools and in the central office.  I believe that every school needs a talented and dynamic principal for the school to be successful and I have worked hard to find great leaders and to support the fine principals that have served the school district for years.

I am also proud of the work that we have done on Cultural Proficiency.  We have created a district-wide dialogue about how student individual, racial and cultural identity is a factor in learning.  I think that we have been effective in engaging parents of all backgrounds and that our schools are more welcoming as a result of this work.

4. What is your favorite aspect of serving as superintendent of the district?

Seeing the quality of teaching and learning improve is central to my personal mission as superintendent, but the favorite part of my work is seeing students perform.  I am a major patron of the arts and I really enjoy the concerts and the plays.  Attending those events is something that I will really miss. I am always fascinated by the talent of the poise of our students.

5. What legacy do you hope to leave behind in LMSD?

Only time will tell if my work here will have a lasting impact on the school district.  I know that I leave behind great teacher leaders and administrators.  I know that I lead during a period of economic turmoil and that we were able to preserve and expand the depth and quality of our course offerings and programs while neighboring school districts began to dismantle programs in the face of economic or perceived economic hardship.  We stayed the course to remain a beacon of excellence.   I also know that I was privileged to be the superintendent while Harriton grew from a small successful high school to a large academic and athletic powerhouse.

6. What is the most valuable thing you learned during your time as superintendent?

In the midst of the deepest crisis that a school district may experience, the parents and students of the school district deserve the finest education. No matter what else was happening in or around the school district, the teachers here are committed to ensuring the success of the students.  I also learned that when times are tough that it is even more important to have dedicated and talented people serve on the School Board.

7. What will you miss the most about LMSD?

I mentioned the arts and student performances but the thing that I will miss most is when I hear teachers and administrators take on an issue and work with guts and gusto to make the right things happen for kids.  People here come together and work tirelessly to do the right thing and also to support one another.  I will miss many people. I will miss the general talent, intellect and generosity of the students, the faculty and the community.

8. What inspired you to establish the Delaware Valley Minority Student Achievement Consortium?

I think that those of us who come from and live in racially diverse families have an opportunity to live and see things that others may not.  As an educator and as a father I have seen how the racial identity of the student or of my child can be a factor in learning, engagement and socialization.  Having seen those things on a small scale made the stories that parents told me about negative experiences with school really resonate with me.  This, and my role as special education teacher pushed me to advocate for students who many people might dismiss or overlook.

When I was the assistant superintendent in Cheltenham we did some very public and significant work to help close the achievement gap between white and African American children.  Other school district reached out to me for help but my focus needed to remain on the work in Cheltenham.  For that reason, I partnered with a trusted colleague at the University of Pennsylvania to form the consortium.  I am also proud to say the Lower Merion was one of the first districts to join the consortium and in the past nine years the consortium has grown from 13 school districts to over 35 school districts.  The consortium is now known as the Delaware Valley Center for Equity and Excellence.  The model has been replicated in two other states.

9. What will your position be at Temple University this coming year? What do you hope to accomplish?

I will be working as professor at Temple and I will teach graduate level courses in educational leadership.  I will also serve as the co-chair of the Educational Leadership graduate programs at Temple.  I hope that I am able to strengthen the program at Temple in order to help prepare great school and school district leaders.  I also hope that I am able to support the good work of school leaders in the School District of Philadelphia.

We wish Dr. McGinley luck with his new position at Temple University and thank him for the tremendous work he has done to benefit Lower Merion School District!