Athletic Director Dan McGrath is among six people who will retire Tuesday from the Depew Union Free School District under a state incentive program offered by the Board of Education.

A district employee for 40 years, McGrath is the sole administrator to announce his retirement. He will remain as head football coach. Replacing him as athletic director will be Lynn Girdlestone, who will continue as assistant principal of Depew High School.

Physical education teacher Brian Wilson will assume new duties as a part-time athletic coordinator while continuing his teaching job part time.

The dual-position arrangement will save the district about $100,000, new School Superintendent Jeffrey Rabey said during Tuesday’s board meeting.

The retirements are expected to save the district $1 million over two years, according to Rabey.

The five retiring teachers and their years of service are: Scott Hawbaker, high school technology, 38 years; Thomas Jablonski, high school social studies, 37.5 years; elementary teachers Lynn Napier, 35.5 years and Elizabeth Czechowicz, 39 years; and Patricia Ruda, family consumer science, 37 years.

“That’s a lot of talent leaving, and we wish them all well,” said Steven Carmina, board president. The district is replacing one elementary teacher and the technology teacher. Tuesday, the board approved hiring Erin Mangin, a longtime elementary substitute teacher, on a three-year probationary basis as a full-time elementary teacher ending June 30, 2013.

Rabey said he hopes to have a technology teacher hired by the start of school next month.

The State Legislature this year adopted a temporary retirement incentive plan.

The incentive requires the district to prove a savings of 50 percent within two years, which can be achieved by leaving positions vacant and hiring entry-level replacements at lower salaries.

Earlier this year, another $800,000 in savings was achieved with the June retirement of six teachers, leaving a technology teacher position and two non-instructional personnel positions vacant and moving a special education monitor into a grant program.

Those moves were part of the $37.6 million budget adopted for the 2010-11 school year, which is about $1.2 million lower than the year than ended June 30.