Phillips announces his retirement

WATKINS GLEN (9/14/2016)--In what will be his final full year as superintendent of the Watkins Glen Central School District, Tom Phillips said he will be officially retiring next fall.
"This is my 33rd year in education and my 11th year here at Watkins Glen," Phillips said. "It's just that time of your life where you look around and go 'I think I've done all I can do.'"
Phillips said his retirement will become official in October of 2017, adding he is hoping the school board would find a replacement so he could help them transition throughout the summer. He said he wanted to give the board of education plenty of time so they could begin the process of putting together the characteristics they are looking for and get their advertisements out. Phillips mentioned the board then has to go through all the candidates who applied and make sure they are all certified.
"It is a pretty long process," Phillips said. "That's why I wanted to give them a heads up, so they could bring somebody in prior to the start of next year's school year so that we can at least share notes. [...] I am more than willing to do whatever I need to do to transition the new person in."
Phillips said his experience at Watkins Glen has been great, noting he does not yet have anything on the horizon for his retirement. He said his favorite memory of his time in Watkins Glen was getting to present his daughter with her diploma.
"For me, that is a personal highlight that I will always treasure," Phillips said.
Phillips listed the financial collapse of 2010 as one of the most difficult times during his tenure. He added he is grateful for the strong leadership at the board of education level when the district was challenged with the financial crisis and the loss of state aid.
"We maintained our focus on providing quality opportunities for kids," Phillips said. "The fact we were able to consolidate into a single campus and get 66 percent of the voters to approve us going out with a capital project and consolidating to a single campus speaks volumes for our board and our district."
Phillips said the biggest thing moving forward is developing some organic leadership from within the district to "keep the momentum going." He said sometimes when there is a transition period and a new person comes in, there can be a new vision or an attempt to "reinvent the wheel." Phillips said organic leadership within the district can help keep a focus on what is important, so when someone comes in they know where the district is going and do not have to create a new path.
"I truly am blessed to be able to end my career here at Watkins Glen and to serve this community for the past 11 years," Phillips said. "It has been a privilege."