At Monday evening’s Lancaster Central School District’s (LCSD) Board of Education (BOE) meeting Superintendent Edward J. Myszka announced his retirement. He will continue to serve the district through the end of the 2012-13 school year; June 20, 2013.
In making his announcement Mr. Myszka gave the following statement:
“Although I am looking forward to a new chapter in my life, I look back at my career in Lancaster. This is a community that values education. I have had the privilege of working with many wonderful people, starting with the Board of Education; dedicated individuals who volunteer much time and talent. Administrators, teachers, support staff, parents – all are important; all working as a team to provide our students with the best education possible.”
“And of course I will miss the students, their energy and enthusiasm, their promise, all that they contribute to our community. How many thousands of students have walked through the doors of Lancaster schools during my tenure? It is a little mind boggling, so I stopped counting.”
"I learned from my mother and father to work hard, give my very best, and treat everyone with a sense of respect and integrity. I hope that I have made them proud. I have always loved Lancaster schools and will continue to be a staunch supporter and fan. I would like to thank all of you for your support. It’s been a great journey.”
It was a very emotional moment for Superintendent Myszka and the BOE members. Mr. Myszka received a long round of applause before and after BOE president Ken Graber spoke on Myszka’s contributions and virtues.
LCSD Press Release
Following a lifetime of involvement with the schools he loves, first as a student and then as an educator, Edward J. Myszka Superintendent of schools announced his retirement at the January 14, 2013 board of education meeting. Mr. Myszka plans to finalize his 46 year career with the district on June 30, 2013.
Mr. Myszka, who has been superintendent of the Lancaster Central School District since 2007, was the first ever alumnus to be named superintendent of the district.
Mr. Myszka has served the district as a business teacher, chair of the Business Department for 12 years, advisor to the DECA club, vice president of the Lancaster Central Teachers Association, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Support Services for 27 years – working with Dr. J. Norman Hayes, Dr. Joseph Girardi and Mr. Thomas J Markle before becoming Superintendent.
As assistant superintendent, or superintendent, Mr. Myszka has shepherded the school district through both good and bad times; overseeing a period of declining enrollment that saw the closing two schools and difficult staffing layoffs to Lancaster’s greatest period of growth in the late 90’s and early this decade - which led to the building of a new school, improvements to existing schools, and the technology advancements that weren’t even on the drawing board when Mr. Myszka began his career.
Honored by the Lancaster Lions as their 2007 Educator of the Year, Mr. Myszka also received the Business First Pathfinder Award in 2005. The Pathfinders Award news release noted: “In his role as assistant superintendent, Mr. Myszka has supported educational programming for Lancaster students. He has helped secure funding for Lancaster students to enjoy state-of-the-art technology, an athletic field house and other exceptional facilities.
As a Lancaster native, Ed is a very dedicated community member, participating in activities and fundraising for more than 15 local organizations. He has served the Lancaster Central School District faculty and administrative staff for four decades. More recently Mr. Myszka was recognized by the Western New York Educational Service Council with their Superintendent Award for Excellence.
Mr. Myszka is a Registered School Business Administrator (RSBA) through the Association of School Business Officials International. He received his Educational Administration and Supervision Certification from the State University of New York College in Buffalo; a Master’s Degree in Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from SUNY @ Buffalo. In addition, he was honorably discharged as an Operation Sergeant/Staff Sergeant from the United States Army Reserve, 98th Division.
Mr. Myszka has been noted for achieving savings for the Lancaster Central School District through collaborative agreements with the Town and Village of Lancaster and other municipal agencies. Under his direction the district has received energy grants saving the taxpayers in excess of $350,000.
Significant among his many savings, Mr. Myszka was instrumental in the formation of the Lancaster Educational and Alumni Foundation (LEAF), a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation formed for the benefit of Lancaster students and schools. Mr. Myszka is proud of the establishment of LEAF, a program that is a vehicle for providing support not only for the students but for broadening that support to include all community stakeholders and alumni as well.
Mr. Myszka and his wife are the parents of three grown children; Joelle, Adam and Jason. All three are graduates of Lancaster High School.
Not a huge loss for the district. His hiring practices for building and district administrators is questionable at best, average athletic program, tenuious working environment with teachers and distict employees and an inability to be a proactive leader. I hope the district looks to bring in someone from outside the Lancaster community and not another Joe Girardi crony that has been involved in the district. Our kids deserve better.
Interesting. And how did you come to this point of view? Are you a Lancaster Central School District staff member? How are you involved to make such a determination?Originally Posted by dmckay716
1 only needs to live in the Lancaster community their entire life and have children who graduated from that school to make that assertion.
I don't know Mr Myszka but I do wish him a happy retirement. He is smart to get out now
before having to make even harsher decisions next year.
Georgia L Schlager
Yeah, sure, lets bring in an outsider, because we all have seen how well that worked out for the Buffalo Public Schools in the past, i.e. Dr. James Williams.
I like the idea of promoting from within. No one understands the students of a district better than someone who has experience with the students of a district. Why is WNY so bent on importing talent? Then we wonder why people are leaving.
First Amendment rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them they will atrophy.
I have not lived in Lancaster for my entire life but for the past 40 years. All three of my children were educated in the Lancaster Central School District. Things must be different now because I really did not have the time to get involved in the school system, didn't learn much from my kids, in going to teacher conferences on their progress, or through other parents.
You posted earlier that you want to see an outsider brought in. You also posted on Girardi. Wasn't Girardi an outsider? I don't remember. Or are you just saying that Myszka was just a minion and a faorite of Girardi's. If so why was he by-passed for Markle?
Having attended the budget work sessions in the past several years, I have learned what a difficult and lengthy process it is for the BOE to put a budget out that is as fair as it could be to school staff and taxpayers while providing students with the resources and opportunity to obtain an excellent education. Unfortunately, less than a handful of residents attend these budget work sessions and give no input as to what they are willing to pay to maintain programs and/or staffing.
Lancaster is blessed wih some great administrators who really take an interest in the well being of the students. They are known for their qualifications and capability. I would have no problem if one of them was announced as Myszka's replacemen.
Blessed with great administrators! They themselves are blessed, Myszka made 162k the last 4 years. I'd say it's time to adjust that down a bit, wonder what his pension will be?
Lee-
I respect your efforts to attend board meeting, etc. however, I will politely disagree with you in regards to Mr. Myszka. As someone like yourself who questions the patronage practices of our elected leaders, Mr. Myszka has been the ultimate symbol of patronage. 2 recent examples include their current assistant principal at Lancaster High School as well as the district athletic director. Both are minions of the old guard at Lancaster and were hired in lieu of more qualified candidates because of their relationships with Myszka & Girardi.
It depends on what tier he was.
First Amendment rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them they will atrophy.
If that is true then I have to agree with your position. You are 100% correct that I abhor patronage (family & friend) appointments when more qualified people are available. I have posted in the past that I understand the political payback system, but only when that individual is the most qualified. I brought that issue up at the Town Board Organizational meeting where appointments were being made without there being any position posting in town or in the media that would allow for the public to apply; that such postings be published on the town's website.
Sad to say but I have no past history knowledge of such machinations taking place back in the days of Girardi. Thanks for the input. Transparency and openness were not the norm in past years.
Buffalo schools always seem to make the wrong move. Some outsiders do good for their district. Clarence school superintendent Thomas Coseo who retired in 2011 was brought in from the Adirondacks in 1991 had several second place rankings in the Business First list and first place 1998-2000 and 2002, 2003 with relatively low school tax rates.
Georgia L Schlager
Walk a mile in their shoes...
There's no one constant that needs/should be addressed here ... not superlatives that lend almost meaningless drivel ... more than a clear picture of the impact that Mr. Myszka has/hasn't delivered. Seeing as we're just coming off the holiday season ~ and the televising of the [I]It's a Wonderful Life[I]movie ~ like the angel Clarence who makes clear the importance of George Bailey's life by showing what it would have been like if George had never been born ~ we need to ask ourselves what would our Lancaster schools be like if Mr. Myszka had never contributed and that, in itself, ultimately will establish Mr. Myszka's legacy.
What we do not need is more trashing ... [I]old guard minion/Girardi crony ... I ask that you examine Mr. Myszka's bio ... it reads like a repertoire of excellence and eloquence. This is not just effusive praise, but certainly recognizes and establishes his credibility in the scholarly and public service communities ... and proves his tenure was relevant and provided for a dimension of work and professionalism as exhibited through his educational prowess for our school district, military expertise and ability to control spiraling educational $$$$. Impact? Importance? One should like to think so ...
The danger with critical commenting is that one needs to ensure statements are as unbiased as possible. Condemnation versus a cogent evaluation can endorse or destroy reputations. Lancaster Schools do have great things going for it! Sam Walton once said [I]Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words ~ they're free and worth a fortune. [I]And with that I would like to wish Mr. Myszka a long, happy, healthy retirement. Thank you!
Well said. The Myszka I have come to know was and still is a positive. I wished him well Monday evening and said that where we not always not in agreement, we were never far apart. Although I do not know the man socially, I came to apprciate the man for providing answers to questions I did not know, for his transparency and openness, and appreciated his dedication and commitment in acting for the best interests of the children and taypayers.Walk a mile in their shoes...
There's no one constant that needs/should be addressed here ... not superlatives that lend almost meaningless drivel ... more than a clear picture of the impact that Mr. Myszka has/hasn't delivered. Seeing as we're just coming off the holiday season ~ and the televising of the [I]It's a Wonderful Life[I]movie ~ like the angel Clarence who makes clear the importance of George Bailey's life by showing what it would have been like if George had never been born ~ we need to ask ourselves what would our Lancaster schools be like if Mr. Myszka had never contributed and that, in itself, ultimately will establish Mr. Myszka's legacy.
What we do not need is more trashing ... [I]old guard minion/Girardi crony ... I ask that you examine Mr. Myszka's bio ... it reads like a repertoire of excellence and eloquence. This is not just effusive praise, but certainly recognizes and establishes his credibility in the scholarly and public service communities ... and proves his tenure was relevant and provided for a dimension of work and professionalism as exhibited through his educational prowess for our school district, military expertise and ability to control spiraling educational $$$$. Impact? Importance? One should like to think so ...
The danger with critical commenting is that one needs to ensure statements are as unbiased as possible. Condemnation versus a cogent evaluation can endorse or destroy reputations. Lancaster Schools do have great things going for it! Sam Walton once said [I]Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words ~ they're free and worth a fortune. [I]And with that I would like to wish Mr. Myszka a long, happy, healthy retirement. Thank you!
True. At least he was from NY State.
First Amendment rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them they will atrophy.
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