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Hawthorne superintendent recognized as district prepares leadership transition
Summary
The Hawthorne Public School District board and community honored retiring Superintendent Dr. Richard Sprito and discussed the incoming administrative team, while offering parting remarks and a formal board statement of appreciation.
The Hawthorne Board of Education formally recognized the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Richard Sprito at its June meeting and publicly thanked him for 10 years of service, while naming the district's incoming administrative leaders.
Board President Marco Tataro read a statement on behalf of the board praising Sprito's leadership and character, saying in part, "On behalf of the board of education and the entire Hawthorne community, I want to extend our deepest appreciation to Doctor Espirito for his years of dedicated service." The board's statement called out his "open door philosophy and collaborative spirit" and noted his planned next role "as the director of school administrators residency program."
In his final superintendent report, Dr. Sprito thanked the board and community, said it had been "an honor to work alongside our amazing educators" and congratulated graduates. He also identified members of the district's incoming leadership team by name: "Mr. Mignonelli, our new superintendent; Mrs. Vicali, our new business administrator; Mr. Vittorioso, our new buildings and grounds supervisor," and said he would support them in their transitions.
Board members and community representatives offered tributes in public comment and during general board remarks. Multiple trustees described Sprito as a "captain" for the district and praised his visibility at events, his hands-on work, and the sense of teamwork he fostered. Several speakers recalled his participation in graduations, classroom visits, and district projects and said those actions had strengthened community trust.
The board acknowledged a plaque donated to memorialize past superintendents and board members; donors and benefactors for district events were also read into the record. No formal personnel action to appoint or confirm the incoming superintendent was recorded in the public portion of this meeting.
The board moved into executive session later in the meeting to discuss exempt matters; the publicly announced executive-session motion stated that no public action was anticipated at the conclusion of that session.
Looking ahead, board members said they expect the incoming administrators to begin work in the summer months and that the board and district will continue transition activities and onboarding.
