Albany County Schools Superintendent to resign
Jubal Yennie will leave the post this summer after seven years on the job. He spoke of the district’s “caring culture” and how the pandemic upended the community’s tendency for compassion.
Albany County Schools Superintendent Jubal Yennie will be stepping down from the post later this year, seven years after joining the district.
Yennie said it’s time for a new chapter in his life, but added he doesn’t know what that will look like.
“It’s a good time,” Yennie said. “A lot of things are in good shape. We’ve moved a lot of things forward and the time was right.”
Yennie announced his coming resignation during the Albany County School Board meeting Wednesday.
During his tenure, Yennie implemented several policies to codify district operations. These included the district’s strategic plan and the more recent COVID leave allowances for teachers and other school employees.
“It was just the right thing to do, to make sure that our employees could take care of their families as well as themselves and their health, so that we could take care of the kids and keep schools open,” Yennie said.
The pandemic cast a long shadow over the final years of Yennie’s tenure. The superintendent admits that several hopes were dashed or diminished when COVID-19 upended life and redefined “normal.”
Backlash to the district’s now-defunct mask mandate colored the last several months at Albany County Schools and especially school board meetings. Yennie was praised for a statement he made in October, decrying the “vitriol” and threats lobbied at school board members.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has damaged our compassion for one another,” Yennie said at the time. “It, like so many things in recent years, has divided us. We most certainly have one thing in common, however. We want this pandemic to be over with as little loss of life as possible. While disagreements about our educational system can be constructive, we’ve found that this pandemic has brought out the very worst in us.”
The statement reflects Yennie’s primary concern about the breakdown of unity in the school community. Following his resignation announcement, the superintendent reiterated his call for compassion.
“We’ve got an outstanding community with elected officials that are just dedicated to the kids in this community,” Yennie said. “And just a reminder that these folks are our neighbors and they are great leaders. We don’t need to do all the vitriol that we had here, and the craziness.”
But Yennie said he has hope for the future; he believes the “caring culture” that’s in the district’s “DNA” will pull it through this tumultuous time.
“Students feel cared for by teachers and our employees; people just have a deep caring for kids and for each other, and that hasn’t gone away,” Yennie said. “We’ve lost our compassion for one another and need to call on that a little more. It’s going to be that DNA that will bring that back.”
In addition to implementing policies, Yennie updated the salary schedule, hosted regular check-in meetings with employees, and personally fundraised for the annual “Celebration Convocation” gala. During Yennie’s tenure, the new Laramie High School opened its doors; the new Slade Elementary School is scheduled to open in time for the next academic year.
School Board Chair Janice Marshall said the board will be deliberate in selecting Yennie’s replacement.
“I anticipate that the Board will meet frequently as we get a plan in place and go through the process,” Marshall writes. “We will keep the community informed. As we did in the past, we will provide opportunities for involvement with forums to meet candidates. The Board will work diligently to find the next superintendent to lead this outstanding District of hardworking, skilled, resilient staff.”