Monday, November 10, 2025
Mary Jo O’Hagan still remembers the first time she considered running for the Baldwin Board of Education.
It was 1994, and after years of leadership roles in Parent Teacher Associations from Brookside Elementary to Baldwin High School, O’Hagan was urged by friends and neighbors to take the next step.
“It just seemed like a natural extension of my service with PTA,” she recalled. “I was all for it … I knew this would be a good thing for me, and a learning experience.”
O’Hagan’s successful run for the board marked the beginning of a 30-year tenure, which came to a close when she retired by resigning on Sept. 10.
Over three decades, she became a steadying presence in the district during times of enormous change. She noted the creation of Baldwin’s career academies, the expansion of dual enrollment programs with colleges, and new partnerships with local businesses, which gave students internship and job-shadowing experiences. Perhaps most notably, O’Hagan said, Baldwin’s early adoption of technology helped the district weather the pandemic with “almost no interruption of instruction.”
“I am very proud that over the course of 30 years, the district has been able to navigate all of the changes and really be a leader in innovative programs,” she said. “We were always in front, always at the cutting edge.”
Her colleagues on the board said her impact cannot be overstated.
“Mary Jo O’Hagan has been an absolute treasure to the Baldwin School District and all of our students have benefited by having her fighting for them for the past 30 years,” Board Vice President Susan Cools said. “Mrs. O’Hagan has not only served our board but has also been involved in many capacities in other organizations that work tirelessly to ensure funding, needed legislation, and a deep understanding of what makes a district able to provide the best public education possible for all students.
“Mary Jo is not only an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience, but a compassionate friend to Baldwin and to all of us in our school district,” she added. “We will miss having her on the board but we know she will still be an important part of our wonderful community.”
O’Hagan, was board president at various points in her service, and helped oversee initiatives such as the transition to full-day kindergarten, moving sixth-graders to the middle school and repurposing two elementary schools. More recently, she helped establish wellness centers at the middle and high schools, facilities that have earned national recognition for addressing students’ mental health and social-emotional needs.
Her decision to step down was not a sudden one. She said she wanted to leave “on a high note,” pointing to the voter-approved bond last year that will modernize district facilities, and the appointment of a new superintendent, Anthony Mignella, whom she fully supports.
“I felt that we had a very solid board, and they were fully prepared to take on a new member,” O’Hagan said. “This was a good time to step away with the least possible disruption.”
Though leaving was bittersweet, she said her years of service left her inspired by the people she worked with.
“I have met some of the smartest people,” O’Hagan said, “and I’m so reassured that going into the future, there are so many who want the best, who are working hard to make schools better, make the society better, help children engage the community.”
Beyond her service on the board, O’Hagan built a career as a school secretary in Freeport, and she and her husband, Desmond, raised two children, Heather and Michael, who attended Baldwin schools.
Her message to others in the district as she turns the page is simple: stay involved.
“Get engaged,” O’Hagan said. “Participate. Be yourself a good citizen. Go to PTA meetings, ask questions, come to the board, communicate with us in any way that you can.”
While she’s stepping away from the board, O’Hagan said she hopes to continue helping residents understand school governance — perhaps by visiting PTA meetings to explain the role of board trustees.
“I’ve always looked at myself as a steward of a fine district,” she said. “My hope is that people will keep Baldwin moving forward, always future-focused, and always putting students first.”
