Earlier today, Thomas Hagerman announced his plans to step down from his position as Head of School at the end of this academic year. The announcement was made in an email to the Latin community from Board Chair Dara Milner and Board Vice Chair Carrie Parr, and included a message from Dr. Hagerman.
“This decision comes after a great deal of thoughtful deliberation,” he wrote. “I have been repeatedly reminded about the importance of attending more intentionally to my health and overall sustainability.”
Dr. Hagerman’s four-year tenure skews shorter than Latin’s previous Heads of School—under past administrations, permanent heads have often served for over a decade.
Additionally, these heads most often came from private school administration backgrounds, unlike Dr. Hagerman, who had served as superintendent at public schools.
Ms. Milner and Ms. Parr added in their email to the Latin community: “We would like to express our gratitude to Thomas and are grateful for his dedication to Latin and for all that he has accomplished. He is leaving the School well-positioned for the future, academically, financially and as a community.
“We will begin a national search for Thomas’s successor in the coming weeks. In addition, we will be working collaboratively with Thomas and our Senior Administrative Team on a transition plan to guide the School during this period and are planning for an interim Head of School for the 2026-27 school year.
“Please join us in thanking Thomas for his dedication to Latin and wishing him good health and all the best.”
Dr. Hagerman’s announcement occurs during a Latin School Union bargaining year, bearing potential implications for future union procedures.
Middle School English teacher and vice-president of the Latin School Union Whitney Gorton said, “We’ve cancelled today’s bargaining meeting. The board is wanting to be involved in a way that we hope will be beneficial for students and teachers.”
She said, “The last couple bargaining meetings have been disappointing, and so my hope is that [we] can move things in a more collaborative direction.”
Looking forward, Assistant Head of School Ryan Allen said, “In terms of future plans, all of that’s up in the air at this moment. We will try to make sure that we remain stable and continue to do all the great things that we’ve been doing.”