Haldane Has New Superintendent

“Full Day Phil “is now long gone. Will Dr. Duffy be as hands on?

Since the end of Dr. Philip Benante’s tenure as superintendent at the close of the 2023-2024 school year, Interim Superintendent Carl Albano has overseen the Haldane School District. But now, a more permanent replacement is joining the Haldane faculty.

As of July 1st, Haldane’s new superintendent will be Dr. Gail Duffy, who previously worked as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Human Resources at Irvington School District. This will be her first position as superintendent of a school district.

Dr. Duffy was raised in Yorktown, currently lives in Fishkill, and grew up visiting Cold Spring with her parents. Then, as a young adult, she enjoyed visiting Boscobel and hiking in the surrounding areas.

Duffy has one son going into his second year of college and a daughter going into her senior year of high school. She sought the open Haldane position because, in her words, “[I wanted to] live close to home so that I could be fully present in this community but also get home to my own family.” She further noted, “Haldane kind of represents all of that. A small community, close-knit, a real focus on kids, and a warm, supportive community in a beautiful setting are all the different things that kind of draw me to Haldane.”

When discussing her career path, Duffy stated, “I always knew I wanted to work with kids, from middle school on.” She began her career as a special education teacher, and has since served as a principal, a Special Education Coordinator, and Director of Curriculum at various schools in New York. She is also currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hunter College in New York City.

Duffy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education and Teaching from SUNY Plattsburgh, as well as a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration and Supervision from Pace University, a Doctorate of Curriculum and Instruction from Walden University, and a Doctorate of Educational Administration and Supervision from Manhattanville University.

Duffy maintains that she is committed to hearing students’ voices. “I really want to spend the year listening to students first,” she stated. “I want to hear from all different students, all different grade levels. What is it that you love about Haldane that you want us to continue? What are your dreams as you graduate, Haldane? And what in your experience has been missing along the way?”

Additionally, Duffy said she plans to prioritize being present and involved in the Haldane community. “What students will see is I’m very hands-on, very visible,” she stated. “So I hope that when you see me in the hall, you’re like, ‘Hey, Dr. Duffy, how’s everything?’ I think that would be something I hope you see from day one. That I’m not only here in the office, but I’m out and about. I’m visiting games. I’m visiting art events. I’m in the community. I’m walking on Main Street.” She concluded: “I want to be as visible as I can.”

When it comes to the Capital Project, Duffy is passionate about the STEAM portion of the addition. According to her, “My doctorate was in instructional technology, but I’ve had the chance in other districts to help build a STEAM curriculum. So I’m really excited to see what STEAM means to students and then how we can build the spaces and the curriculum around that.”