South Washington County Schools introduces new executive director for student support services
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Summary
The board was introduced to Dr. Megan Hickey, who started July 16 as executive director of student support services and outlined priorities including multi-tiered systems of support, multilingual services and stewardship of resources.
South Washington County Schools introduced Dr. Megan Hickey as the district's new executive director of student support services during the Aug. 7 board workshop. District Superintendent Julie Nielsen opened the item and asked Hickey to share initial observations after beginning in mid-July.
Dr. Hickey said she began July 16 and was "finishing up here my third week in South Washington County Schools, and it's just absolutely fantastic to be a part of this community." She described her role as overseeing early childhood special education, special education, multilingual services, behavioral and mental-health supports, health services, nursing, counselors, school psychologists and social workers, the McKinney-Vento program for students experiencing homelessness, and Title I programming.
Hickey said she brings more than 20 years of experience in K'2 education and has worked in Robbinsdale, the Osseo Area Schools and, most recently, Minneapolis Public Schools. She described her academic background as including a doctorate in educational psychology, a master's degree in educational psychology and a bachelor's degree in child psychology from the University of Minnesota, together with administrative licensure in special education, principalship and superintendent licensure.
On priorities, Hickey said she is focused on multi-tiered systems of support, ensuring equitable access for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, centering student well-being, and providing high-quality professional learning for educators. She also said she is "deeply passionate about being a good steward of public resources and ensuring that we use all of our resources effectively and efficiently."
Nielsen said Hickey had been meeting staff across the district since her July start date and that the board and community should expect to see her engaged in work supporting students and families.
The board did not take a formal vote on the hire at the workshop; the item was an introduction and an opportunity for Hickey to outline early priorities and experience.
