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Superintendent search narrows to three
 ALBANY,
N.Y. (June 27, 2012) -- The City School District
of Albany Board of Education has narrowed its search for the next
superintendent to three finalists.
The candidates were selected from a
group of six in a process that began in April with a national search
that drew 27 applicants. The finalists, chosen after interviews with
board and community representatives, are:
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Geoffrey N.
Gordon, Ed.D., superintendent of Port Washington Public Schools on Long
Island;
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Tim O. Mains,
principal of Helen Barrett Montgomery School No. 50 in Rochester; and
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Marguerite Alecia
Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D., deputy superintendent of Paterson Public Schools
in Paterson, N.J.
The board
will interview each finalist the week of July 9 and anticipates making a
selection by the end of July.
Since
2002, Gordon has been superintendent of the Port Washington district,
which serves approximately 5,000 students. He also was superintendent of
New Providence Public Schools in New Jersey from 1994-2002. In addition,
he has been a principal, vice principal and teacher. He earned his
doctorate and master’s degrees from Rutgers University. Click the
highlighted text to see a copy of
Gordon's resume.
Mains has
been principal of the 500-student Helen Barrett Montgomery School since
2002. Before that, he led staff development for the Greece school
district and served on the Rochester City Council, and was a school
counselor and teacher. He holds master’s degrees from Canisius College
and Columbia University, where he currently is a doctoral student. Click
the highlighted text to see a copy of
Mains' resume.
Wyngaard has been
deputy superintendent of the 28,000-student Paterson district since
2010. She also was executive director for educational services for Eden
Prairie Schools in Minnesota from 2008-2010. In addition, she has been
an interim superintendent, assistant superintendent, professor and
teacher. She holds a master’s degree from Calvin College and a doctorate
from Kent State. Click the highlighted text to see a copy of
Wyngaard's resume.
“All
three candidates come with extremely impressive backgrounds and a have
wealth of experience,” said board President Daniel Egan. “Thanks to the
input from community stakeholders, we have a group of finalists who
would be excellent leaders for our school district and a good fit for
our community.”
Capital Region BOCES is working with the board to
assist in the search for a successor to Superintendent Raymond
Colucciello, Ed.D. The
district held public forums in January and February and also conducted
an online survey to gather community input about the characteristics
most important in Albany’s next school leader. More than 250 people
responded, helping frame the board’s national search process.
The board
received applications in March and April and the
first round of 10
interviews was conducted in late May. Those interviews resulted in six
semifinalists, who met with three teams of community stakeholders in
mid-June. The three finalists were selected from those meetings.
Dr. Colucciello came to the district on an
interim basis in July 2009 following the retirement of Superintendent
Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D. The board conducted an initial search during the
2009-10 school year and identified Dr. Colucciello as the best candidate
to lead the district at that time. Dr. Colucciello has continued for two
additional school years; his current one-year contract expires in July.
Under his direction the district has
continued to focus on its 2008 strategic plan,
“A Vision for
Tomorrow,” implementing a number of new initiatives aimed at raising
achievement for all students.
Those accomplishments have included the
redesign of Albany High School into four smaller learning communities;
the establishment and ongoing work of the Alternative Education Think
Tank; the consolidation and closure of five buildings to save taxpayers
money; the settlement of historic contracts with the unions representing
teachers and staff members; and the passage of three budgets amid the
nation’s worst economic crisis in 80 years. That included a budget that
resulted in
a
decrease in school taxes for 2011-12, and
a budget for
2012-13 that received 69 percent approval from the community, the
highest approval rating since the district’s first school budget vote in
1997.
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 about 8,700
students in 15
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,
including four themed academies at Albany High
School.
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