Dr. Charlene Brennan became interim superintendent on Oct. 17 of this school year. After Dr. Bell left the district, Dr. Brennan was brought in to help the district until they can find a full-time replacement. 

Dr. Brennan came to DV from the Intermediate Unit (IU), a program across the state of Pennsylvania that assists districts in services they can not provide for themselves (i.e. bidding on paper, mental health services and technology). She then became the executive director at the IU for about 14 years, which in IU terms, is the same as being a superintendent. 

After retiring from the Colonial IU 20, Dr. Brennan became the acting superintendent at Pleasant Valley School District in Pleasant Valley, Pennsylvania. 

According to Dr. Brennan, her two most important roles as interim superintendent are working with the staff but also making sure the kids are in a happy and healthy environment. 

“The first important role is working with the board of directors and serving as an adviser to them. The second role, in today’s day and age, is to keep students safe in schools, make sure they’re learning and being productive,” Dr. Brennan said. 

As for the improvements Dr. Brennan plans to make, she would like to bridge the leadership gap and work on the special education program throughout the district. To Dr. Brennan, an interim superintendent, is just a fill-in, so no major changes can be made in the short time he/she is in charge.

“Part of our role is to bridge a leadership gap. For short term projects [we plan on] working with the special education directors to see if there are any programs that should be made,” Dr. Brennan said.  

Dr. Brennan has worked with the special education programs at many different school districts.

Not only has Dr. Brennan has been a part of the IU and special education programs, but she has also been a teacher. Through her teaching years, she has brought several things over to help her become an administrator such as her ability to work with parents, time management and learning to be systematic. 

“I think working with parents, as a teacher, certainly provides you with skills and how to work through problems and issues,” Dr. Brennan said. “I also think about time management, preparing lesson plans and being systematic. All of that really helped in administration,” 

Outside of school, Dr. Brennan does a lot of reading, crocheting and glass painting. 

As for why she chose Delaware Valley, Dr. Brennan said that even though it is about an hour drive from Stroudsburg, where she lives, she knew the history of the district and really liked what we represented.