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 ALBANY, N.Y. (February
9, 2010)
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Raymond Colucciello,
Ed.D., who has led the City School District of Albany as interim
superintendent since last summer, has agreed to remain with the district
as superintendent for another school year.
Dr. Colucciello will serve through the
2010-11 school year. Board of Education President Dan Egan made the
announcement Feb. 9 during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Thomas O'Brien
Academy of Science and Technology.
"I am looking forward to continuing to
work together with the board, our district staff and our community as we
continue to strive for the best possible programs and services for our
students and families," said Dr. Colucciello (pictured at right
during the TOAST ceremony).
The board conducted a national search in
its efforts to replace Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D., who retired last July. Mr.
Egan said the search identified a number of highly qualified
individuals, but the board ultimately decided that the stability Dr.
Colucciello would provide during an important time for the district made
him the best fit.
Dr. Colucciello
served as Schenectady's superintendent from 1993-2001 and has held
interim superintendent positions in several area districts since then,
including Troy, Ballston Spa and Voorheesville. He also served for a
brief time as interim principal of Albany's former Public School 18 (now
Delaware Community School) in 2002. He brought 50 years of experience to
Albany when he stepped in for Dr. Joseph in July.
"From the beginning, this community
made it clear that our search had to be about more than skills and
qualifications – that our next superintendent had to be the right fit
for Albany," Mr. Egan said.
Check out media coverage of
the announcement in the
Times Union and on
WNYT/TV-13 and
CapitalNews 9.
The board is pleased with
the progress the district has made over the past decade, and proud of
the achievements that have helped improve our schools and increase the
opportunities for success for all of our students, Mr. Egan said.
"But we know there is much
work to be done, and we find ourselves in the middle of a number of
important initiatives aimed at accelerating our progress," he said,
noting the following initiatives:
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The Alternative
Education Think Tank is working on recommendations to improve this
critical piece of our educational program.
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The High School
Restructuring Committee is developing new ideas for the future of
Albany High School.
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The need for significant
facilities work at Albany High. Possibilities include renovations to
the current building, construction of a new high school or some
combination of those two options.
"With so much change
happening for us, the board came to the conclusion that what we need
most right now is stable leadership to see us through these
transformations," Mr. Egan said. "We realized that we have what we need
right here already."
The board will
continue its search for a superintendent to replace Dr. Colucciello for
the 2011-12 school year.
The mission of the City School District of
Albany is to educate and nurture all students to be
responsible citizens, critical thinkers and lifelong learners to
successfully compete in the global community by providing an
academically rigorous and safe environment in partnership with parents,
students and the community. The district serves approximately 8,400 students in 16
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.
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