The superintendent of the Quakertown Community School District is retiring at the end of the current school year. William E. Harner announced last week that he will be retiring in June after 10 years leading the district.

            "It was an honor and a privilege to be the educational leader for the Quakertown Community School District," Harner said in a statement posted on Nov. 29 on the district's website. "The academic success of our students and the professional growth and success of our employees are my passion. Making the world a much better place one student at a time is always at the forefront of my thinking."

            Harner – a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army – helped transform the Upper Bucks district into a leading K-12 educational institution both in academics and the technology fields. During his tenure, the district moved from unranked to being ranked seven years in a row with the US News & World Report's America's Best High School Silver Award. College readiness and the number of Advanced Placement course offerings more than doubled; SAT scores jumped 110 points by year four; and student participation in technical education increased by 20 percent, according to the news release written by Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD's director of communications.

            "I knew Quakertown had arrived as a school district when Realtors began advertising about Quakertown's high-performing school district," Harner said. "It's special when others recognize what you already know."

            School Board President Jon Kern describes the district's recent strides accomplished under Harner's leadership as "border[ing] on being unbelievable." Kern described the superintendent's forward-thinking approach to building a team that exhibits camaraderie and a drive for excellence as "second to none."

            "Quakertown Community School District would not be in the good place it is today were it not for Dr. Harner," Kern said in the statement.

            Harner is credited with adding Pre-K, full-day kindergarten, gifted curriculum, and expansion of world language opportunities to the district. Individually, the administrator has counseled and coached hundreds of students on their academic program and post-high school options, writing letters of recommendation for many, according to the information.