Islip School District Names New Superintendent

ISLIP, NY — The Islip School District recently named a new superintendent after Dr. Ellen Semel announced she will be retiring this year.

Dr. Dennis O’Hara will be the district's new superintendent starting on July 1, 2021. Semel announced her retirement last year after almost 15 years working in the district.

He received his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania, his Master of Science degree from Stony Brook University, and his Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY College at Old Westbury.

O’Hara previously served as the superintendent of the Hauppauge School District since 2016. During his time in education, he worked to cultivate trusting and mutually respectful relationships with all stakeholders.

While serving in Hauppauge, O’Hara helped to raise student achievement, improve postsecondary outcomes and elevate the external reputation of the school district.

"Over the past several months the board of education has worked hard to identify the characteristics that our community desired in our next superintendent of schools," Board of Education President Phil Dineen said. "One thing that resonated throughout this process was our community’s collective desire to select an individual who will work tirelessly to put students first, support our educators and engage with all stakeholders. I am extremely proud to say that we have found those attributes and more in Dr. Dennis O’Hara, as his work is guided by the mantra of ‘students first, pure intentions, best effort.’ We are so grateful to all those who contributed their thoughts, suggestions and input along the way and are happy to welcome him to our Islip school community."

His efforts resulted in a 30 percent increase in the district’s advanced regents diploma rate, a 10 percent increase in the number of students attending four-year colleges as well as national recognition for Hauppauge High School – a first in the school’s history.

Before working at Hauppauge, O’Hara served as the principal of Oyster Bay High School for 13 years. He began his professional career in education as a classroom science teacher and has been published in various national publications.

He received several accolades, including the School Superintendents Association’s 2018 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award. In his personal time, O’Hara enjoys serving as an ocean lifeguard at Robert Moses.

"Since my own children were young boys, I have admired the Islip School District and community," O’Hara said. "During every visit over the years, and recently, I could sense the tight-knit nature and feel the Islip pride. I am most excited to meet students and families and find ways to be of service. I cannot wait to work with the many dedicated and hard-working teachers, administrators, and staff to help change students' life trajectories. I feel blessed to be joining this school district and I am grateful to the board of education for their trust and support. Together, we will help every student develop the confidence to pursue his or her dreams."