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 ALBANY, N.Y. (June 3, 2009) --
Former Schenectady City School
District Superintendent Raymond Colucciello, Ed.D., will serve as
interim superintendent and veteran urban educator David C. McCalla,
Ph.D., will be the next principal at Albany High School following Board
of Education appointments June 2.
Dr. Colucciello will take over the leadership role for
the City School District of Albany on July 11 following the retirement
of Superintendent Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D. Dr. Colucciello will serve
through Dec. 31 while the board and district work in partnership with
the community on a national search for Dr. Joseph’s permanent successor.
Dr. McCalla (pictured at right) will assume the principal's position at
Albany High on July 1, succeeding Maxine Fantroy-Ford, who will return
to Giffen Memorial Elementary School for the 2009-10 school year. Dr.
McCalla has 25 years experience in Miami's public schools, the
fourth-largest district in the United States, and most recently held
assistant superintendent positions in Mount Vernon, N.Y. You can read
more about Dr. McCalla in
the June 3 Times Union.
“We are extremely
pleased to have the opportunity to bring this high caliber of leadership
to our school district,” Dr. Joseph said. “Dr. McCalla’s outstanding
experience and his deep understanding of urban school systems will be a
great benefit to Albany High School and our students and families. We
are grateful to the district and community volunteers who played an
important role in choosing Dr. McCalla for this critical position.”
“We know that Dr.
Colucciello’s experience and guidance will be invaluable to us while we
once again partner with our community to select the superintendent who
will lead our school district into the future,” said Board of Education
President Barbara Gaffuri.
The board also approved a new principal for
Delaware Community School. Philip Livingston Magnet Academy Principal
Thomas Giglio will transfer to Delaware for the 2009-10 school year,
succeeding Interim Principal Gary Beadnell. Livingston's middle school
program is closing after this school year due to declining enrollment.
Dr. McCalla was selected
following an extensive search process that included four focus groups in
March to develop the criteria for Albany High’s next principal. A
33-member committee then conducted interviews with prospective
candidates.
Dr. McCalla brings to Albany an extensive background in
urban education, including 25 years in the Miami-Dade County (Fla.)
Public Schools. A science
and math instructor early in his career, Dr. McCalla served as assistant
principal at the middle and high school levels before taking over as
principal of 1,300-student Homestead Middle School in 1993, where he
served until 2000.
He was principal of
1,100-student Golden Gate Middle School in the Collier County (Fla.)
Public Schools for two years before moving to New York state as
principal of Nyack Middle School in 2002. He spent two years in that
position and four as a district-level administrator in the Mount Vernon
City School District, including two as assistant superintendent of
curriculum and instruction and a year as assistant superintendent for
pupil personnel services.
As assistant
superintendent of curriculum and instruction from 2005-07, Dr. McCalla
monitored and implemented all state curriculum standards for Mount
Vernon’s more than 9,000 students. He supervised 10 subject-area
supervisors district-wide and five K-12 principals.
As assistant
superintendent for pupil personnel services during the 2007-08 school
year, he was responsible for that area as well as accountability,
technology and special education. He supervised three district directors
and five secondary principals. Dr. McCalla has served as an educational
consultant for the past year.
At Albany High, he will
lead one of the Capital Region’s largest high schools at a time when the
district is poised to begin planning for significant changes to the
educational program and high school facilities as part of its strategic
plan.
“I am looking forward to
this great opportunity to lead Albany High School at an exciting time,
and to helping the district shape the future of secondary education for
the entire Albany community,” Dr. McCalla said.
Dr. Colucciello returns
to Albany, where he served for a brief time as interim principal at
Public School 18 (now Delaware Community School) in 2002. He was
Schenectady's superintendent from 1993-2001,
and later spent three years (2005-08) as interim superintendent and
superintendent in Ballston Spa. He currently is completing a one-year
term as interim superintendent in Voorheesville.
The City
School District of Albany serves approximately 8,300 students in 18
elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood
schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as
well as other innovative academic opportunities for students. The
district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities
project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary and
middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is to
provide schools with the resources to help students succeed in
the 21st century.
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