Schalmont school officials are looking to community members to help select the next district leader.
The Schalmont Board of Education on Thursday, June 28, held its second superintendent search community meeting to gather input from students, parents, staff and district residents. The meeting, held in the middle school LGI, saw about a dozen people weighing in on the district’s strengths and challenges, along with what they would look for in a new district leader.
Superintendent Valerie Kelsey on announced her decision to retire on June 11, with her retirement effective Dec. 31.
Schalmont Board of Education President Sandra Beloncik and Sam Shevat, a retired district superintendent assisting BOCES with the search process, lead the discussion pointing out the district’s priorities and expectations.
Beloncik said it was “invaluable” to receive as much input as possible on the search process. She said school officials want a collaborative effort to select the next superintendent, and mentioned there were some similarities between Thursday’s meeting and one the previous day to help craft goals.
“They were each different, but almost everything was identical,” she said. “It was so enlightening to have a lot of the community members, with some of them having a dual role as a community member and employee, but I think that is great.”
The district also has an online survey for residents to fill out if they were unable to attend a meeting and would like to share their input. A link to the survey can be found on the district’s website or by directly visiting www.surveymonkey.com/s/SCSDsupersearch. The survey will be open through Aug. 15.
Beloncik said the district was hoping to have a larger turnout for the meetings, but it still gathered a lot of useful information.
“Both sessions expressed wanting to have an experienced person, because they want to really continue on everything that we have going,” she said. “It really has to be someone that understands the APPR system (a new teacher evaluation system) that is going to be really vital.”
Jefferson Elementary Assistant Principal Jason Thompson said the district has a real sense of family.
“It is a view of what’s good for families and what’s good for the kids,” he said.
The list for what the district can improve on was much smaller than its strengths, which Beloncik said was nice to see.
Thompson said the district should start to look at things from a K-12 perspective and have a regular review of curricula. Elisa Pepe, a middle school English teacher, added she would like to see the district reach out to the community more.
District Building and Grounds and Transportation Supervisor Kevin Mercoglan said it is important to continue setting aside funds for facility improvements and upgrades to “keep the ball rolling” on current improvements.
Elementary school Principal Joby Gifford said the district should create more opportunities for “struggling learners,” while also helping “gifted” students.
Several professional and personal traits of an ideal new superintendent were also identified, including a strong sense of openness and approachability with a long-term commitment to the district and learning the culture.
Thompson said the applicant shouldn’t be looking at the district “as a stepping stone to a bigger district.”
The district is planning to send out the applicant brochure this week and applications will need to be postmarked by Sept. 4. The Board of Education will meet
to review candidates on Sept. 6.
The first round of interviews are planned to be held by the board on Sept. 18, 19 and 24, with board members eliminating some applicants before the second round of interviews with stakeholders in early October.
After stakeholders further eliminate candidates, the board is planned to kick off the final round of interviews on Oct. 29 with three to six candidates. The board is expected to appoint a new superintendent during its meeting on Nov. 13.
