It was the end of an era as Bethlehem Central School District looked to its future on Wednesday, April 2, when it named Michael Tebbano as its new superintendent.
The board of education accepted the resignation of Tebbano as Bethlehem’s assistant superintendent of educational programs and appointed him to replace outgoing Les Loomis as superintendent of the district.
Loomis has been at the head of the district for 21 years.
The announcement to appoint Tebbano was officially made public during the Wednesday, April 2, board of education meeting, but Spotlight Newspapers revealed the excusive on its Web site the night before.
Concluding months of searching and interviewing candidates from as far away as Texas, the board unanimously decided that Tebbano was the right man to carry the district into a new age of education.
And, according to Board of Education President James Lytle, just because the ultimate successor was already walking the halls of Bethlehem Central, it doesn’t mean the board’s extensive search was a wasted effort.
Now I know some people are going to ask, ‘Why did you go through all this trouble?’ Lytle said at the meeting. `It’s because we felt the community deserved that kind of commitment.`
The superintendent search involved reviewing 29 applicants for the position, which was narrowed down to six semifinalists during a first round of interviews. Then three finalists were chosen and interviewed by the board and six panels of community and school district representatives.
Tebanno described the interview process as `very intensive.`
`I enjoyed to opportunity to sit down and meet with the various community stakeholders,` Tebbano said. `It seemed to me that my answers resonated with the community stakeholders.`
The board of education was unanimous in its support for Tebbano.
`The best person to lead us in this district,` Lytle announced at the meeting, `is Dr. Michael Tebbano.`
Tebbano will officially become superintendent on July 1, following Loomis’ retirement after more than two decades as superintendent.
`I am thrilled by the opportunity to become the next superintendent of BC,` Tebbano said prior to the meeting. `I believe BC is an outstanding district and is poised to become even stronger and more focused in offering a global educational experience for every student. The students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators and the community at large bring many wonderful strengths and talents to this special learning community.`
Tebbano’s starting salary will be $170,000.
The entire board stood and applauded for Tebanno following the announcement as he made he way around the room and shook the hands of board members and fellow administrators.
`I’m very excited, and I am looking forward to working for you,` Tebanno told colleagues and audience members after taking his seat.
In a follow-up interview, Tebanno said he was `very happy and very honored to be selected as the district’s superintendent.`
As the district’s assistant superintendent for educational programs since 2005, Tebbano joined the district as the K-12 music supervisor in 1997, and became principal of Bethlehem Central High School in 2002.
`I love living in Bethlehem. I’ve been here for 11 years,` Tebbano said.
In his current position, he has been responsible for the leadership and direction of the district’s academic programs and helped chart new directions for the district in full-day kindergarten, technology education, advanced placement offerings, and the introduction of Chinese into the second language program.
Tebbano is expected to focus on the technological challenges ahead of the Bethlehem Central School District in training and educating a whole new generation of students in the 21st century.
Tebbano’s first initiatives will include improving the district’s communication with the community, creating a mechanism for sound fiscal accountability, as well as using growth models to better prepare students for college and the world ahead of them.
`One of the first things I think is important will be better communication and support for programs,` Tebanno said. He also wants to control costs while maintaining the quality of programs in the school.
`I want to see that every Bethlehem student is able and prepared to successfully complete four years of college if that is what they want to do,` said Tebbano.
Lytle said Tebbano was the right choice and looks forward to his stewardship of the district.
`At the end of the process, the board unanimously concluded that the best qualified and most dynamic person to lead Bethlehem into the future was Dr. Tebbano,` Lytle said.
Board member Lynne Lenhardt concluded the appointment announcement by saying, `We’re very, very fortunate.“