There was an empty chair at the Pine Bush school board meeting Tuesday, June 25. Pine Bush Superintendent Brian Dunn was not in attendance.

Board president Gretchen Meier began the meeting by adding two items to the agenda: the resignation of Dunn and the appointment of Amy Brockner, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, as acting superintendent.

The motions came toward the end of the meeting. The board accepted the resignation of Dunn as of June 30, 2024; Matt Watkins abstained. Meier offered no explanation for the resignation and no one commented. The board appointed Brockner as acting superintendent as of July 1, 2024. No one asked any questions during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Dunn will have served exactly two years, starting July 1, 2022, as noted in a June 25, two-sentence news release that wished him well. He arrived as Pine Bush was coming off the pandemic, and the district was reeling from the untimely death of former Superintendent Tim O. Mains just six months earlier.

Dunn will be remembered for his commitment to Pine Bush with such initiatives as starting the process of reviewing the district’s cell phone policy.

Watkins, when contacted afterwards, said he abstained in the vote to accept Dunn’s resignation for personal reasons. He did not elaborate.

Brockner has been assistant superintendent for instruction for four years. She has also served the district as a teacher and an assistant principal, and as the principal of Circleville Elementary School for six years before moving to district office.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our district as its acting superintendent and help guide us into our next school year,” Brockner said in a June 26 news release. “I look forward to celebrating our Class of 2024 on Thursday evening, as well as continuing to prepare for the 2024-2025 school year. Providing our students with the best opportunities to achieve their personal success is always our purpose. At Pine Bush, we are ‘One Team, One Mission’.”

Brockner also stood in for Dunn at the June 26 Pine Bush High School graduation ceremony. He was listed in the program as a scheduled speaker, but did not appear.

In a call to Meier, she said she could only say that the district had accepted Dunn’s resignation.

“We are grateful to Mrs. Brockner for accepting this position,” said Meier, in a statement posted on the school district website. “We are in experienced, capable hands with Amy and have every confidence in her ability to lead our district.”

During the meeting Meier thanked board members Ross Tompkins and Watkins for their service, six years and seven years respectively; they were not re-elected May 21.