DALLAS TWP. — Frank Galicki has held many titles in his academic career. Now he can add “retiree” to that list.
Galicki, 63, will officially retire as superintendent of the Dallas School District on Tuesday, June 30.
Prior to serving the Dallas School District in many capacities for 33 years, Galicki worked in various other places.
The Mocanaqua resident and 1969 Nanticoke High School graduate started his teaching career as a Social Studies teacher at Northwest High School in 1973, months after graduating from Wilkes University with a degree in Social Studies.
After five years, Galicki made his way to Berwick High School where, at the age of 26, he was hired as assistant principal in 1978.
In October 1982, Galicki came to Dallas — and the rest is history.
“I started out as an assistant principal for a year and then became the high school principal in 1983,” said Galicki. “I held that post for 25 years and then from there, in 2004, I moved to assistant superintendent and in October, the superintendent retired and I became the active superintendent for a year. And then in 2005, I was appointed as superintendent.”
Galicki’s academic achievements include two-time president of the Principal’s Association in 1998 and 2000 and has served on the board since 1992. Galicki was named Principal of the Year in 2004 and finished in the top five for National Prinicipal of the Year that same year. He also became president of the Pennsylvania Superintendents Organization in 2010 and has served on that committee since 2007.
The use of modern technology in schools is the biggest change Galicki has seen in his career.
“I think the way technology has progressed over the years — 80s, 90s and et cetera, and the ability to do all of your communications via electronics,” Galicki said of the changes he’s seen. “No longer do you have to worry about people not getting the message on television about school being cancelled because we have automated call systems and we have an app that we put out to hand-held devices and our website.”
Galicki mentioned that Dallas High School incorporated cyber summer school in which students will complete courses from computers at home instead of going into the school building during the summer months.
Advancements in modern technology have brought about a positive influence to schools, Galicki said.
“I think it’s been 80 percent positive and 20 percent negative,” he said. “The negative is you have to police the cell phones, but the positive includes some kids can’t take lectures notes as fast as they need to so they have the audio recording.”
Among his career achievements, Galicki looks fondly upon the opening of the new Dallas High School in 2011, a project he helped kick start and one in which he takes great pride.
“That was my dream and my love to build a brand new high school,” he said. “I thought we could do a much better job constructionally and educationally by improving our facilities and that was a facility that needed major, major improvement, our old building.”
On top of his academic career, Galicki enjoyed a semi-pro football career playing in Connecticut before teaching at Northwest and also played for the Lackawanna Eagles.
He also currently serves as a high school sports official and referees football, basketball and baseball.
Galicki looks forward to his retirement, but plans to keep busy as he will continue to officiate high school sports and will teach classes to new high school principals at Delaware Valley College.
He will be replaced by former Dallas Middle School Principal Dr. Thomas Duffy, for whom Galicki has high praise.
“The district is in very good hands with Dr. Thomas Duffy taking over,” he said. “I think that he will do fine. He’s a young guy with a lot of ability, a lot of leadership skills and I think he will continue the mission here at Dallas.”
A husband for 38 years as well as a father to three daughters and a grandfather to six, Galicki will spend plenty of time with his family, but admits he will miss his school district family, including students, faculty and other superintendents.
He also admitted he will feel a bit lost when August rolls around.
“Come August, I’m sure there will be a major itch that I’m going to have,” he said. “I’m supposed to be going back to school for new teacher orientation, getting the buildings ready, but that’s not going to be there anymore. There will be feelings of withdrawal and feelings of ‘what should I be doing’ type thing, but everybody I talk to tells me I’ll miss it for a month because after that I’m so busy with other things that there shouldn’t be a problem.”
