BOE looking for public input on future superintendent

WEBUTUCK ­— Former Interim Superintendent David Paciencia, who has been charged by the Webutuck Board of Education with heading the search for the permanent superintendent, will hold an information-gathering meeting for school district residents next Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the Webutuck High School library.

The purpose of the meeting is to hear from the public about the specific characteristics and qualities that they would like to see in their next superintendent, Paciencia explained.

People are free to come and go throughout the meeting, which runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“I will be asking five fundamental questions for their input in order to develop a profile for the position,� Paciencia explained in an e-mail. “I will be writing down everyone’s answers and ideas on chart paper. By that date, I will have already hosted similar meetings with various school staff. Once everything has been gathered, I will be writing a composite of what was shared from all of the focus groups and will forward it to the Board of Education for their use in their selection process.�

Preliminary screening of all candidates begins on the application deadline date of Feb. 5. The target, Paciencia said, is to have a final candidate chosen by the board no later than April 19, and could possibly be sooner depending on the number of candidates interested in the job.

Paciencia has put together informational pamphlets that have been sent out to possible candidates providing information about the district and about the position. The pamphlet is just part of the large push the district is making toward reaching as many possible candidates as it can, as well as finding an applicant that meets the board’s expectations for a permanent superintendent.

“This is not your average superintendent search,� Board of Education President Dale Culver explained, “and the search will only end when we, as a group, find someone of the caliber that we know we need.�

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