RAVENA — Ravena Coeymans Selkirk High School is on the hunt for a new principal.
Dr. Lisa Patierne submitted her letter of resignation to the Ravena Coeymans Selkirk Board of Education, prompting the board to gather for a special virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 27 to accept her decision. A hiring committee to select the school’s next principal was created at the board’s scheduled meeting Wednesday, Aug. 4.
“The last time we hired a high school principal was six years ago,” said District Superintendent Dr. Brian Bailey. “Obviously things have changed in our community, and we want to make sure that we’re looking for the right person, for the right reasons.”
The committee is comprised of community stakeholders tasked with identifying the district’s priorities for a new high school principal. Bailey stressed continuity within the schools’ leadership ranks as a priority. Formerly the high school principal before leaving the district in 2013, noted the position’s frequent turnover over the years.
“I broke the record for the longest sitting high school principal in 2013 at three years,” Bailey said. “I was the longest seated principal since 1996 when Andy DeFeo retired. Andy DeFeo was principal of the high school for five years, so Lisa [Patierne] has shattered my record of three years — she is the longest seated principal since 1996.”
Board members are wrangling with meeting the district’s needs while anticipating the candidate’s obligation to provide his or her current employer with adequate notice. The board hopes to interview candidates by Friday, Aug. 26, and to bring someone on board days before Patierne’s last.
Should the board remain on schedule, the district would have a new principal in the school, allowing Patierne to mentor her successor before she leaves on Friday, Oct. 28.
“I want to congratulate Dr. Patierne on her retirement and congratulate her for the great success we have had with her at RCS,” said board president Edward Reville. “Congratulations to her on her retirement.”
