Pennsbury Hires Next Superintendent

The Pennsbury School District will have a new superintendent starting this summer.

The school board voted 9-0 Thursday evening to hire Dr. Thomas Smith, who currently serves as the superintendent of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District located in Pennington, New Jersey, to serve as the next leader for the district that serves students in Falls Township, Lower Makefield Township, Tullytown Borough, and Yardley Borough.

Smith will start on or before August 1.

Smith, a longtime educator, will replace Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula. Gretzula surprised the school community last September when he announced he was retiring in June with time left on his contract.

The incoming superintendent’s contract will run for five years and start him with $210,000 per year.

School Board President Christine Toy-Dragoni said she was “thrilled” to welcome Smith to Pennsbury.

Smith thanked the school board and community for their support. He said he plans to meet and work with Gretzula on the transition.

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit provided the following biography for Smith:

Dr. Smith has worked as a teacher, coach, and at all levels of administration in both small and large school districts.  He currently serves as Superintendent at Hopewell Valley Regional School District located in Pennington, NJ.  He also teaches graduate-level courses in education.  

Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications, two master’s degrees in education from The College of New Jersey, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Seton Hall University.  He serves as the president of the Mercer County Administrators Association for the past seven years and was named Mercer County Superintendent of Year in 2018.  Dr. Smith’s recent work has focused on social-emotional learning and providing mental health programs for students. His other efforts include improving the cultural competency of staff and students and improving academic opportunities for all students. He lives with his wife and three children in Allentown, NJ. 

Smith will join the district after a tumultuous few years. Pennsbury had four administrators raise concerns about the district’s operations during Gertzula’s time leading the district. Three of those complaints led to lawsuits with serious allegations. One lawsuit is settled and two remain ongoing. The district has been, at least partly, eyed in a federal and state investigation that spans Bucks and Montgomery counties and investigators’ interest in Pennsbury has not been made clear. The district has referred to the probe as “non-existent ‘law enforcement investigations.’”

On Wednesday evening before the school board vote, Smith took part in a community forum with Bucks County Intermediate Unit Executive Director Dr. Mark Hoffman.

Smith said he was raised by a single parent. He grew up in Ewing, New Jersey, which is next to Trenton, and has family in Lower Bucks County. The educator credited his teachers and coaches with keeping him on the right track while growing up.

“I spent a lot of time at the Oxford Valley Mall on Friday nights when that was a thing,” he said with a chuckle.

After graduating college, Smith worked as a production assistant on commercials in New York City. While volunteering with Special Olympics on the weekends, he realized his passion for education and helping those with special needs, he said.

Smith is married to a former special education teacher and they have three children together. They currently live in Allentown, New Jersey and previously resided in Lower Bucks County.

The superintedent said he sees how passionate the community is about the district and knows that it is a “diamond in the rough” that needs to be polished.

“Our goal is to move forward,” he said.

Smith said he plans to meet with teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders as part of his new job.

He explained his plan is to have a “consistent vision” across Pennsbury and unite the district. Additionally, Smith praised the district’s existing education plan.

Asked about transparency, Smith said he is willing to put himself out there to explain his decisions.

Smith said he will look at what worked and what didn’t with education during the pandemic. He explained some of the things that appeared to have worked, like adding virtual options for parent-teacher conferences, would be practices schools should consider continuing.

“Education has to change from this. We need to learn from what has worked,” he said.

Another item to be examined will be school start times, Smith said.

Speaking of equality, Smith said there are opportunities to examine how the district handles the issue. He said it is important to have students talk about their lives and how they may differ from peers so there can be more understanding. Smith acknowledged the ongoing work of Pennsbury Director of Equity, Diversity, and Education Dr. Cherrissa Gibson.

“We’re all here to move forward,” he said.

When discussing mental health, Smith said schools need to meet the mental health needs of students and staff. He cited some programs that work in his current district.

“For any student to know that they’re cared for is a good thing,” Smith said.

As the district looks at some facility upgrades, Smith said he’s dealt with physical plant projects in his career.

“You’ve got a winner here,” the head of the intermediate unit told the forum audience.

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