White Plains Names Dr. Paul R. Fried New Schools Superintendent

The White Plains School District has named Dr. Paul R. Fried its new schools superintendent, taking over for interim Superintendent Timothy P. Connors on July 1, 2015. Connors served as superintendent from 2002 to 2009 and returned on an interim basis last year.

Fried joins the White Plains school system from Montville Township in New Jersey, where he has served as superintendent for the past five years. He is also very familiar with Westchester County, having served as Mamaroneck’s superintendent from 2005 to 2010, and having worked as an administrator in the Ossining School District for nearly two decades.

He became White Plains’ choice after beating out a field of 61 other candidates in recent months, according to officials. A reception for Fried will be held on Jan. 12 at the high school, prior to the Board of Education’s meeting to officially appoint him to his new post.

Below is the district’s press release about the hiring:

The White Plains Board of Education is pleased to announce that it plans to appoint Dr. Paul R. Fried as Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1, 2015. It is anticipated that a three-year contract with Dr. Fried will be presented for approval by the Board at its January 12, 2015 meeting at 7:30 P.M. in the High School Media Center.

A reception for Dr. Fried will be held at 7 P.M. on January 12th, prior to the Board Meeting and the public is welcome. There will also be opportunities to meet the new superintendent in the spring, when he visits the community and the schools.

Dr. Fried emerged as the finalist among 62 candidates in a search conducted this past fall. After initial interviews, the Board expanded the interview team to include representatives from the Civil Service, Teachers and Administrators and Supervisors Associations, the Superintendent’s Cabinet, Centro Hispano, and parents.

Dr. Fried comes to White Plains from Montville Township, New Jersey, where he has been Superintendent for the last five years. Prior to that, he was Superintendent of the Mamaroneck School District from 2005 to 2010 and was a Principal and Assistant Superintendent in Ossining for the previous 19 years. During his tenure in Mamaroneck, Dr. Fried contributed to the implementation of several important initiatives which focused on student and parent engagement, teacher effectiveness and the needs of a diverse community.

A graduate of SUNY/New Paltz, Dr. Fried earned his Master’s Degree there as well and has a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. Board President Rosemarie Eller said, “We are confident that, as a seasoned superintendent with a background as an educator in Westchester County, Dr. Fried has the experience necessary to succeed in White Plains. We look forward to welcoming him here.”

Dr. Fried succeeds Timothy P. Connors who returned to White Plains last year as Interim Superintendent, after having served previously as Superintendent in the district from 2002 through 2009.