HAMBURG, N.Y. — During a board of education meeting Tuesday evening, the Frontier Central School District agreed to remove its current Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Hughes.
The board of education says the decision was a mutual agreement between the board and Hughes, adding that the board believes it's in the best interest of the school district.
The decision went into effect immediately, with Hughes concluding his last day with the school district on Tuesday. According to the board, this decision will allow Hughes to pursue other opportunities.
2 On Your Side had reported back in October that the Frontier Central Teachers Association had issued a "no-confidence" vote against Hughes. The union said there was no single issue that led to that vote, but rather an overall lack of leadership before and during the pandemic.
Assistant superintendent of instruction Colleen Duggan has been named as the acting superintendent. The school board says Duggan will serve in this position for one month while the board searches for an interim superintendent.
The school district released the following statement on the school's website:
The Board of Education of the Frontier Central School District, at it's meeting on December 15, 2020, approved a mutual agreement between the Board and Superintendent of Schools Richard Hughes, which the Board believes is in the best interests of the District and which will allow Dr. Hughes to pursue other opportunities. Dr. Hughes’ service to the District will conclude today, and the District has named Colleen Duggan as acting Superintendent to ensure continuity of leadership in the District. Mrs. Duggan will serve in the Acting role for about 1 month while the Board conducts a short search for an Interim Superintendent. This will allow the Board to devote the appropriate time and consideration to the search for a permanent leader for the District. The Board anticipates to announce and hire a permanent Superintendent over the summer. The Board would like to thank Dr. Hughes for all his efforts and hard work with the District and we wish him well in his future endeavors.
You can watch the board meeting here: