Patricia Murray laughs when people refer to her as the “The Data Queen” — but she doesn’t shy away from the label.
“It’s obviously a joke, but in all seriousness, I think data is helpful,” Murray told The Record in a recent interview as she prepares for her new role leading the Rye City School District. “I consider myself a math person, a numbers person,”.
For Murray, who officially steps into the schools superintendent position on July 1, data is not about spreadsheets or test scores alone — it’s about insight.
“Data can point you to needs, specific needs for individual students, and it can tell you things about a grade level, a school, a system,” she said. “It helps you point to your ‘why.’”
Her philosophy — using both quantitative and qualitative data to guide decision-making — has shaped her career, she said. And it will help her transition into Rye City schools’ top job, as she succeeds outgoing Superintendent Eric Byrne.
Murray has worked alongside Byrne, who is stepping down after leading the district since 2017, for the last four years as assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
“I think that [Byrne] has built a phenomenal foundation, even more than that, and I think the district … is at this really key place where we can build on our strong foundation and take it to the next level,” she said.
That next level starts with listening.
Murray said she is launching an “entry plan,” which includes one-on-one meetings with teachers, parents, staff, and students this summer and fall, as well as larger focus groups to focus on district-wide strengths and challenges.
She had a similar plan when she started her Rye career in 2021, and she began to see patterns in what community members told her, she said. She credited that information with helping her determine what next steps should be.
“Success will look like people feeling that I’m supportive of them and their children,” she said. “Having a really clear plan, which I am spending the summer and fall building, is also an indicator of success.”
Murray has two teenage daughters who attend school in Chappaqua. Being an educator, she said, has had a big impact on her parenting, because it has given her a unique perspective on adolescence.
Since attending a Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Boston with one of her daughters, Murray became a devoted Swiftie. And while her daughters have since moved on to the likes of Gracie Abrams and Sabrina Carpenter, Murray still considers herself a devoted Swift fan.
“I have a parent perspective,” she said. “I know that when a parent comes to me that they have their child’s best interests at heart, so I can always see where they’re coming from and empathize because of that.”
Murray emphasized that leadership is as much about people as it is about numbers.
“Relationships are vital to doing this job,” she said. “Knowing your faculty really well, knowing the families, knowing the staff in a way that makes people feel valued and supported is paramount to success.”
She plans to be a visible presence around the school district this year by attending performances, sports games, and community events. She believes that informal interactions matter.
Her top priorities as superintendent: Building relationships and improving academics and social and emotional development for students.
Photo Alison Rodilosso
Reaching the top administrative spot in the Rye schools has been years in the making. She began as a middle school math teacher in Massachusetts before moving to New York City to get a master’s in education from NYU.
Her first teaching job after grad school was at Public School 11 in Chelsea, where she was a fifth-grade teacher for five years. The job helped shape her “own beliefs around teaching and professional learning,” she said.
The principal at PS11 recommended Murray for a leadership program that paved the way for her first administrative role as an assistant principal of Putnam Valley Elementary School for six years.
She then served as the principal of Bronxville Elementary School for seven years before landing in Rye.
In Rye, she readies to take the top spot after a year of significant turnover. Principal Andrew Hara and Vice Principal Eunice Chao-Forest started this school year after the resignation of Rye High School’s top two administrators last June. Hara recently added another assistant principal, Cody Blume.
Murray also believes the district has a responsibility to educate students about artificial intelligence, including the ethics of using AI tools as well as integrating the technology into the classroom.
The district is working to put together an AI curriculum for students in fifth grade through high school to embed AI education into their course work. Additionally, the district is educating teachers on how to use the polarizing technology for their own productivity and how to guide students on how to use it.
“One of my priorities is to continue to build our administrative team and the support systems for not just the new people, even the people who’ve been here for several years and need support as well,” Murray said.
“I know that if I ever have a situation where I feel like my students need something, I’ll ask for it,” she said.
