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On behalf of the MSD Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Strachan as the Interim Superintendent of the Maryland School for the Deaf, effective on September 5, 2020. Mr. Strachan’s appointment was approved on August 26, 2020 at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Kevin brings to this role over 30-years of experience in the field of education, as a teacher and as an administrator. In the early years of his career, he taught high school English at McKinley High School and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. Kevin began his career at MSD in 1995, teaching English in the high school program. After 11-years in the classroom, Kevin made the transition from teaching to administration. After serving as the high school assistant principal for 5 years, he assumed the role as Frederick campus principal and assistant to the superintendent in 2011. Kevin holds a B.A. degree in English from Indiana University and a M.A. degree from Gallaudet University.
The MSD Board is grateful for Mr. Strachan’s willingness to take upon this responsibility temporarily until a permanent superintendent is appointed. Kevin will work closely with the administrative team to ensure stability and continuance of school operations, as well as represent and advocate for MSD with the state government. His wealth of knowledge and years of experience with MSD, as well as his thorough familiarity with the Continuity of Learning Plan, will be instrumental in providing the stability that the school needs in managing and getting through the challenging year ahead.
One of the conditions for the interim appointment was that the individual under consideration would not be eligible to apply for the permanent superintendent position. Kevin has informed the Board of Trustees that, while he loves MSD and is committed to helping the school through this transition period, he is not interested in serving as the superintendent in a permanent capacity. Therefore, Mr. Strachan will return to his role as principal once a new superintendent is hired.
The work in searching for a new superintendent for MSD has already begun. At the recent Board meeting, I shared that we have appointed two members, Akilah English and Krista Leitch Walker, to serve as co-chairs of our national search for a new superintendent for MSD. Akilah and Krista have developed a search and hiring plan that includes several ways in which stakeholders and community members will be involved in the process. Overall, it is expected that the search for the new MSD superintendent will take several months, with the goal of having the new candidate begin their new post by late spring – early summer of 2021. You can expect to receive more information about the launch of the search, including a new webpage dedicated to this work, within the next few days.
I also want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and best wishes to: Superintendent James E. Tucker as he begins his retirement on September 4th after nearly 30-years of dedicated service at MSD, and to the MSD faculty, staff, students, and families as you embark on what promises to be a very unusual new school year.
Remember, we are STANDING TOGETHER!