Cairo-Durham superintendent announces his retirement
Published on:
January 21, 2026
Cairo-Durham Superintendent Michael Wetherbee. Photo contributed.
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CAIRO―Another Greene County school district will soon be searching for a new leader.
Cairo-Durham Superintendent Michael Wetherbee has informed the board of education of his intention to retire at the end of the current school year.
“I am sharing this news now to ensure the board of education has the necessary time to conduct a comprehensive and thoughtful search for the next superintendent,” Wetherbee said.
“A leadership transition is a significant milestone for a district, and providing this lead time ensures that the process will be thorough and not rushed,” he added.
Wetherbee came to the district in August of 2019 after serving for 12 years as superintendent of the Wayland-Cohocton Central School District in Steuben County.
“It has been an honor to serve this district for the past seven years. While I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life, my primary focus remains on the success of our students and the completion of our goals for the current academic year,” he said.
Wetherbee said the board of education is “committed to a transparent process and will keep the community informed as a search consultant is named and a timeline is established, likely early in the new year.”
Cairo-Durham is now the third district in Greene County that will soon lose or has recently lost its superintendent.
In Coxsackie-Athens, Superintendent Randall Squier is set to retire on February 9 after leading the district since 2011. A superintendent search is currently underway there as well as at the Catskill Central School District where John P. Xanthis has been serving as interim since November after former Superintendent Dr. Dan Wilson resigned last spring.
Wetherbee said working at Cairo-Durham has been the most rewarding experience of his 30-year career in education.
“I am incredibly proud of what our students and staff achieve together every day. Thank you for your continued support of our schools and for allowing me the privilege of leading this wonderful district,” he said.
