Tritt To Temporarily Replace Graves

Eleanor “Ellie” Tritt, the longtime Amagansett School superintendent who retired last year, is back on the scene. She will serve as interim superintendent of schools in Sag Harbor while current Superintendent Katy Graves takes a medical leave, school board members said.

It has been a tumultuous few months for Graves. Last week, she abruptly announced she needed to take an “unanticipated leave of absence to attend to a personal medical issue.”

Tritt is scheduled to come aboard in two weeks and serve until a permanent replacement is found, hopefully by the end of the year.

But Graves announced her retirement from the position earlier this year effective January 7, 2020, and with the holiday season looming, the district was preparing to go forward without her already.

But Graves vowed to come back before then should she be cleared medically to resume her duties. She is reportedly dealing with cancer and acknowledged she was scheduled for a procedure at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City in the near future.

“I know I am leaving the district in the most capable hands and our board of education, administrators, teachers, and staff will continue to do what is best for children, fair for adults, and what the community can sustain when I am not here,” she said in a prepared statement.

Tritt is scheduled to come aboard in two weeks and serve until a permanent replacement is found, hopefully by the end of the year. Pierson High School principal, Jeff Nichols, will cover the job until then.

Tritt served as superintendent in the Westhampton Beach School District before her stint in Amagansett.

“We are fortunate to have such an experienced leader join us and we extend her a very warm welcome,” the board said in a statement.

“We wish Ms. Graves a speedy recovery and congratulate her on her upcoming retirement. We sincerely thank her for her dedication and years of service to the district. Ms. Graves’ accomplishments in this district are numerous, and we hope to properly thank and acknowledge her many achievements formally at a later date,” a statement from the district released on Wednesday, November 20, said.

rmurphy@indyeastend.com