LOWER MERION — Lower Merion will soon be looking for a new school superintendent.
Thursday, Lower Merion School District Superintendent Steven Yanni announced he was leaving Lower Merion to take a new position as superintendent in his home district of Central Bucks.
Officials from both Lower Merion and the Central Bucks school districts each made announcements about the change.
In his statement to Central Bucks, Yanni said, “I consider it both an honor and privilege to be chosen to serve as the next Superintendent of the Central Bucks School District. In this role, I will remain unwavering in my commitment to equipping every student with the essential academic and problem-solving skills needed for personal growth, responsible citizenship, and lifelong learning in a district that focuses on academic excellence, empowerment, and innovative educational practices.”
In his statement to Lower Merion, Yanni said, “Following much personal reflection, I have decided to transition from my role as Superintendent of the Lower Merion School District and take on the opportunity to serve the community where I live as Superintendent of the Central Bucks School District.”
Yanni was appointed as superintendent of Lower Merion by the board in June 2023. He had been Superintendent of Schools in the Upper Dublin School District since July 2018.
“When I came to Lower Merion in August, I promoted building relationships based on trust, transparency, and communication, and we’ve done that,” Yanni said in a video statement. “We’ve also advanced multiple initiatives forward. We’re happy that next year, our incoming kindergarten students will have universal full-day kindergarten, and we’ll also implement healthy start times.”
Yanni said he would remain 100 percent committed to the school district until he leaves Lower Merion.
In her message to the community, Kerry Sautner, president of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors, said, “I know this can be hard for all of you to hear. To be honest, it was very hard for me to hear. In a little less than a year, we have grown very fond of Dr. Yanni, and on behalf of the Lower Merion School Board of Directors, I want to thank you for all that you have done for our families, our community, and the board.”
The Central Bucks School Board is scheduled to vote on his nomination at its board meeting on May 14.
According to its website, the Central Bucks School District is the third largest in the state. It covers 120 square miles and serves nine municipalities, including the boroughs of Chalfont, Doylestown, and New Britain. The district also consists of the townships of Buckingham, Doylestown, New Britain, Plumstead, Warrington, and Warwick. The population is more than 101,000. The district has over 3,000 faculty and staff that serve more than 17,000 students in 15 elementary, five middle and three high schools.
“We hired Dr. Yanni because he was a visionary leader and would be able to empower the students to have voice and agency, support our teachers, support our classrooms,” Sautner said. “These are going to be big shoes to fill, but with the help of this board and the community, we’ll be able to move this search along quickly because Dr. Yanni has set us with the goals we need to use to move forward and his commitment to help through this transition.”
Sautner said they plan to reach out to the entire community to ensure its voices are heard when selecting a new superintendent.
Sautner went on to cite some of the initiatives the district has done over the past year, including healthy start times, full-day kindergarten, alignment of special ed throughout all the schools.
“We will not miss a beat, and we will grow together as a school district with our new leadership and into our next generations to come,” Sautner said.
Yanni thanked the Lower Merion community as he completed his remarks.
“I have had so many memorable moments over the last year. I really want to thank everyone, from our board of school directors to our students, staff, and the community at large. You’ve welcomed me in Lower Merion, this very special place, and I look forward to all the great successes that you’ll achieve in the future. Again, Lower Merion, thank you,” Yanni said as he completed his comments.
