Mount Vernon Superintendent To Jump Ship For 'Greener' Pasture

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Longtime Mount Vernon School District Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton will leave his job after the nearby Edgemont Union Free School District made the surprise announcement on Tuesday that he would take the reins there starting in July.

Hamilton's new appointment was made official at a school board meeting tonight, so his resignation from the Mount Vernon job is now a given.

"I am honored and privileged to join the Edgemont community as the incoming superintendent," Hamilton said in a statement just prior to his appointment to the new position. "I am convinced that by working with all stakeholders, we can continue the excellent work already underway and forge ahead to even greater heights. My hope is that community members will take full advantage of my open-door policy so that we can learn and grow together. I extend my sincerest gratitude to the members of the Board of Education for this opportunity and look forward to working with them to advance the district's mission."

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Today's unexpected announcement came at the end of a confidential search to fill the position. Hamilton was selected from a field of nearly fifty applicants, according to the announcement and was the unanimous choice of the school board.

In 2014, Hamilton was named the Superintendent of Schools of Mount Vernon City School District. He will continue to serve as superintendent at the school system until he takes over at Edgemont this summer.

During his time in Mount Vernon, Hamilton led several transformative large-scale capital and construction projects. Notably, he was instrumental in bringing national attention to the newly christened Denzel Washington School of the Arts at Nellie Thornton High School. He ushered the school through the challenges of a global pandemic and a concerning spike in gang and youth gun violence in the community as coronavirus restrictions began to be lifted.

Hamilton will replace current Edgemont Superintendent Victoria Kniewel who has announced her retirement.

This article originally appeared on the Mount Vernon Patch