The Rye City School District has tapped Andrew Hara, the principal of the Barack Obama School for Social Justice in Yonkers, to lead its high school.
The appointment was announced in a Monday letter by Schools Superintendent Eric Byrne. Hara’s contract was approved by the city Board of Education in a special meeting that morning.
Hara leaves his position with the Barack Obama School for Social Justice, a middle school-high school in the Park Hill section of Yonkers which focuses on media and the performing arts. He had served as principal there since 2022.
Rye will pay its new high school head a salary of $210,000, a significant jump from the $160,000 he was making in Yonkers, according to state and school district filings.
“I am honored and excited to introduce myself as the new principal of Rye High School,” Hara said in a statement. “Rye High School has long been a beacon of academic excellence, and it is my goal to continue building on the school’s strong foundation.”
The school district also filled its assistant principal void last month with the interim appointment of Mark Bayer, the ex-principal of Somers High School who retired in June. Bayer’s contract, which pays him $1,000 daily, runs through Jan. 31, 2025.
For Hara, his career in education spans 20 years beginning in the Dominican Republic as a social studies and literature teacher. He then spent 15 years as a teacher and administrator in NYC, including a four-year run as an assistant principal of operations in the Bronx. He was nominated for a Big Apple Teacher of the Year Award in 2015.
Photo courtesy X
His approach as an educator centers on a deep belief in the power of community – building relationships and leading from the heart, Hara said.
“As your principal, I am committed to listening, learning, and leading as we collectively build on the culture and traditions that make Rye High School special,” he said. “Together, we can make Rye High School an even greater place of learning and growth, where we prepare our students to achieve their dreams and contribute meaningfully to the world.”
Hara, who lives in Westchester with his wife and two kids, grew up in San Francisco’s Bay Area. He comes from a mixed background, a father who is Japanese and a mother who is a Russian Jew. He said he’s fluent in Spanish and in the process of learning Japanese.
He enjoys chess and salsa and bachata dancing “from time to time,” he said.
Hara has a bachelor’s and a master’s from Tufts University.
The district settled on Hara after a search following the abrupt resignation of principal Suzanne Short in late June. Short had just been granted tenure by the Board of Education weeks prior. Her salary was $223,375 in 2023, according to state filings.
Byrne said the school district received 80 applicants, which was narrowed down to 15. To vet the remaining candidates, a representative search committee was formed. The committee identified five finalists who were then selected to participate in a full day of interviews, according to the superintendent.
“It became clear through the process that Mr. Hara was the strongest in a field of very strong candidates,” Byrne said.
Byrne credited the work of the committee members saying “the insights and feedback of the committee were invaluable.”
Parents will have an opportunity to meet Hara in person for the first time on Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the middle school multipurpose room.