JANUARY 3, 2025 – Dr. William T. Crankshaw announced today that he will retire as Superintendent of Schools, effective August 9, 2025, ending a 36-year career in the field of education, which included 22 years of service to the Greater Johnstown School District. During that time, Crankshaw served at Johnstown as a choral music teacher for 13 years; the principal at Glebe Street Elementary for four years; and Superintendent of Schools for five years.
“If one is very lucky, retirement is a celebration of bridges built and work well-done in a place one will forever love and in a profession that one continues to be passionate about,” Crankshaw said in a written message to all GJSD staff. “I feel like one of the lucky ones.”
The GJSD Board of Education, led by board president David D’Amore, will announce details soon on steps the District will take to hire its next school superintendent.
“The District owes a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Crankshaw for his service and leadership as an educator and administrator,” D’Amore said. “His initiatives have brought our students out into the world, and the world back to Johnstown. He has steadied the ship and pointed the way to a brighter future for this District. He will be greatly missed, but his impact will last for years to come.”
D’Amore said the District will work through HFM BOCES for the superintendent search and that Dr. David Ziskin will serve as GJSD’s search consultant.
“We now set our sights on the future and begin the search for our next leader,” D’Amore said. “The Board of Education intends to embrace our mission and values to continue the success we’ve seen in the last five years. In the coming weeks we will solicit input from our community to build a candidate profile, which will guide us on our search for a new District leader. This is a significant opportunity to impact our community, and the Board of Education will approach its responsibility with diligence, patience and thoughtfulness.”
In addition to the Johnstown School District, Crankshaw taught music in both the Fort Plain and Canajoharie Central School Districts and spent time in the Northville Central School District where he served as Elementary Principal, Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instruction, and Committee on Special Education Chairperson.
After Superintendent stints at both the Remsen Central School District (2013-2016) and the Cooperstown Central School District (2016-2020), Crankshaw described the opportunity to come back to Johnstown in 2020 as a “dream come true,” explaining that he has actually wanted to serve the Johnstown community as Superintendent since he was a grade school student.
Crankshaw’s connections to the District run deep. He attended the Greater Johnstown School District as a student and graduated from JHS in 1984. His father was a custodian at the former JHS in the 1950s; his mother worked in the Jansen Avenue cafeteria in the 1970s and 1980s; and his grandfather was a custodian at Warren Street in the 1940s and 1950s. Crankshaw says his parents always supported his aspirations in their own ways, as he became the first in his family to pursue the path of formal higher education after graduating from high school.
Although he is formally retiring from public education, Crankshaw’s service to the Greater Johnstown School District is not quite done. One of the many goals Crankshaw had for GJSD was to establish a Foundation that would benefit the District. Over the last two years he has guided the development of Johnstown Educational Foundation (JEF), which is now operational. Crankshaw’s husband, Wally Hart, serves on the JEF board along with seven other community members. The Foundation will support opportunities for students, educators and the District with assistance from alumni, community and businesses. “This is something that Wally and I look forward to supporting in the years to come, as we plan to continue to live in our Johnstown home full-time,” Crankshaw said.
In his message to colleagues and GJSD staff, he wrote: “I look forward to every moment I have left in service as your Superintendent of Schools. It has been and will always be my greatest honor.”