Joseph Chris" Dyer prepares for first year at Tuckahoe"

When the first bell rings on Wednesday, September 8, at Tuckahoe School, Joseph C. “Chris” Dyer will greet students and their parents—something the new superintendent-principal said he is most looking forward to doing this school year.

Mr. Dyer, 63, signed a three-year contract with the single-school district in August, replacing interim administrator Brian McCarthy. He will earn $155,000 this year as the first permanent superintendent since Linda Rozzi left the district last winter.

Since starting work on August 1, Mr. Dyer and his wife, Cheri, a school nurse, have found a home in the hamlet. One of Mr. Dyer’s goals was to live within the school district’s boundaries, he said.

Of his initial impressions of Tuckahoe during his first month, he remarked: “It’s a nurturing, caring community that values children and has high expectations for learning.”

Mr. Dyer has served as a superintendent and principal before, most recently as the superintendent of the Blue Ridge School District in New Milford, Pennsylvania, a larger district than Tuckahoe, although he has worked in schools of various sizes before. Blue Ridge enrolls approximately 1,156 students, whereas Tuckahoe enrolls roughly 360 students, from prekindergarten though the eighth grade.

But Mr. Dyer, who prefers to be called by his nickname, “Chris,” has often said he is anticipating getting to know members of the small, close-knit Tuckahoe community. He is new to the East End, having grown up in Virginia and Ohio.

Dr. Dyer holds an education specialist degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Florida State University with dual majors in management/finance and marketing. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio University with dual majors in industrial engineering and technology, and management, and received a military education in senior officer leadership from the Air War College and Command and General Staff College, according to his résumé. He is also a retired colonel and former artillery officer for the U.S. Army.