At the Board of Education meeting on May 21, Bryan M. Gilligan, Austin Road’s Assistant Principal for the last five years and acting principal from February to June 2019 and March to May 2020, was named Austin Road Elementary School’s new principal. He takes the reins from Mr. Jim Gardineer, who will retire on May 29, 2020.
“I speak for the entire administration in saying that I am pleased that The Board of Education selected Mr. Gilligan as Austin Road’s new principal. We look forward to bringing his many ideas and plans to fruition as he builds on the sturdy framework that Mr. Gardineer so carefully constructed during his years as principal,” said Superintendent of Schools Anthony DiCarlo. “Bryan is an elementary-years expert who is child-centered. I look forward to working with him as he leads Austin Road forward with passion and dedication.”
As assistant principal, Mr. Gilligan attended Teachers College Reading and Writing Institutes with a team of his teachers, was a member of the District Teachers College Reading and Phonics roll-out team, and facilitated a K-5 Writing Committee to develop a district-wide writing program. As a member of the District’s Response to Intervention (RTI) team, he worked to help struggling students through skills and lessons designed to help them succeed in the classroom. He also facilitated the renovation committee for the new Learning Lab and was instrumental in a variety of professional development and safety committee initiatives.
“I am honored to be named Principal of Austin Road,” said Mr. Gilligan. “For the last five years, it has been a pleasure and privilege to work closely with Mr. Gardineer and all of our dedicated teachers, staff, and families. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from Mr. Gardineer’s leadership. In my new role, I am determined to continue building on his strong foundation to ensure that our students have a wonderful Austin Road experience. Truly, it is the commitment and enthusiasm shown by our teachers and staff that motivates me to do my best every single day. I work with such an amazing community! I cannot highlight enough how thankful and humbled I am by their support.”
“Jim Gardineer’s kindness, understanding, dedication, and love of learning have benefited all of us in Mahopac. It is inspiring to realize the impact he has had on the entire community as both a teacher and administrator,” Mr. DiCarlo said about Gardineer who began in September 1991 as a teacher and in 2008 became an assistant principal and a principal in 2010. “We will miss Jim, and we wish him well as he embarks on his retirement.”
Mr. Gilligan, who lives in Ossining, NY, earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, in elementary education and special education respectively, from Manhattan College. He went on to Bank Street College in 2006, where he earned his certification as a New York State School District Administrator. Before joining Austin Road in 2015, Mr. Gilligan served as a fourth grade teacher, literary coach, and assistant principal at P.S. 8 Briggs Avenue Academy in the Bronx.
