Wright said the decision was a personal one. After 46 years as an educator, 22 of which he spent as WSSU superintendent, Wright says he’s looking forward to spending time with his family and traveling.
“I’m going to be 68 in March, my health is still good, and my wife retired six years ago,” Wright said. “And I have two young grandsons I’d like to spend some time with.”
Wright says he’ll miss the staff, faculty, and the members of the seven school boards in the supervisory union, but he won’t miss spending his evenings at board meetings. “I really have no intention of doing 10 to 15 night meetings a month at the age of 69,” Wright said. “If it wasn’t for the nights, I could do it for another 10 years.”
Wright began his career in education in 1964 as a middle school classroom teacher in New York, before leaving for Stamford, CT. Later, he moved closer to home, to McCann Technical School in North Adams.
At Drury High School, also in North Adams, Wright served as principal and assistant superintendent for pupil services, before leaving to take the superintendent’s position at WSSU in 1988. Along the way Wright earned a masters’ degree in history, and a doctorate in education leadership.
After serving 22 years as WSSU superintendent, Wright has the distinction of being the longest serving superintendent to serve in one position in Vermont. Wright says he still enjoys the job. “I like managing personnel, and I like helping families and kids with the best education we can provide,” he said. “We’ve faced some tough fiscal times that were challenging, but I’ve always enjoyed the work.”
Wright said he and his wife will split their time between their home in Clarksburg, MA, where they’ve lived since 1974, their place in Naples, FL, and vacationing at their time-shares.
“Beyond that, I don’t know,” Wright says. “I’ll work around the house until my wife throws me out.”
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