Tweet

Bellwood-Antis will witness the end of an this spring with the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Thomas McInroy, who has held the position since 2014.

Dr. McInroy has been in the education system since 1988 first as a kindergarten- 12th grade art teacher at Forbes Road School District. He was there for 1o years and began his administrative career at the Everett Area District as the assistant high school principal.

He was there for a year and a half before he moved to Westmont Hilltop as the assistant middle school principal. In 2003 he became the elementary principal at Tussey Mountain School District. Before being hire in 2006  as the superintendent of Shanksville-Stoney Creek School District. Dr. Tom was there for about 9 years before coming to Bellwood in November of 2014.

When Dr. Tom replaced Dr. G. Brian Toth, he arrived at Bellwood amid a swirl of unrest from the teacher’s union. He quickly constructed a diverse team that included support staff, faculty, administration, school board, students, parents, community members, and business leaders. With this team they were able to overcome many obstacles such as a leaky roof, replaced phone system, improved the overhead paging, fire system, and school safety.

“In order to handle improvements in the curriculum and the purchase of textbooks, the district went to a one-to-one technology platform that required the overhaul of the technology backbone to support a one-to-one program,” Dr. Tom said. “The ultimate goal is to provide our students with the best well-rounded education possible.”

There were many things that needed to be modified and changed in Dr. Tom’s early years, including budget, facilities, school safety, staffing, text books, instructional materials, and technology. The budget was the main concern when he arrived. At the time, he said, school districts in the area averaged 34% of their budget in reserve, not including capital reserve. Bellwood at the time had 14% in its accounts.

“Once the budget issues were resolved we were able to restore several positions,” he said. This includes adding the addition of a guidance counselor at all three buildings and two security officers.

The security team has been drastically improved as the district underwent a safety audit by the PA State Police in 2015. The team revised the information in the document and developed priorities. including the creation of the main entrance at the high school/middle school building, and hiring of two security devices.

They also added a system that scans drivers license prior to entering school buildings. This system allows to identifies individuals who have had a criminal record. This is only one of the many additions to security in the school.

Dr. Tom’s emphasis on security started shortly after the Columbine shooting in 1998. Since that time he has worked closely with law enforcement to refine and improve safety practices.

“These experiences have helped shape many of the protocols that have developed here at Bellwood. The purchase of electronic door locks and the hiring of school security officers with phenomenal backgrounds has been critical to the success of our school security systems,” said Dr. Tom.

Dr. Tom said he has worked at many good schools over the years, but he says “none that match the quality of Bellwood-Antis.”

“We have excellent students, employees, school board, and community,” Dr. Tom said. “Being able to serve the students, employees, and community here at Bellwood-Antis has been a tremendous experience few have the opportunity to have.”

Now that he has announced his retirement, he will be moving on from Bellwood-Antis, but he won’t soon forget the impact it made on him.

“I will miss the relationships that have been devolved over the past 7 years,” he said.

When asking what his plans were after retirement he said “spending time with my grandchildren and traveling with my wife.”