Shelter Island school superintendent search nears end
The School Board has narrowed its superintendent search down to three candidates and Board President Rebecca Mundy says the process is on schedule to appoint a new superintendent at the board’s April 11 meeting.
The board has held three executive sessions since the end of last week to conduct candidate interviews. The new superintendent’s start date depends on his or her availability, interim Superintendent Robert Parry said, likely July 1 at the latest.
A cap on superintendent salaries proposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has some Long Island administrators worried about its impacts on the hiring process. Longwood Superintendent Allan Gerstenlauer, who said a salary cap would “exacerbate the shortage in the employee pool,” added “I think districts are going to have a lot of difficulty finding well-suited and qualified candidates to take these positions.”
Mr. Parry didn’t think the threat of a salary cap has affected Shelter Island’s search, which attracted 89 applicants: “I find it difficult to believe that the proposal as recommended by the governor would be enacted in that format,” said Mr. Parry. “I don’t think it’s affected the search.” A bigger concern, he said, is the proposed 2-percent cap on tax levy increases.
The superintendent search began in October 2010, when the board hired a private search consultancy, School Leadership LLC, to help perform the search. Dr. Charles Fowler, president of the consultancy, held a public forum at the school on November 9 to explore the qualities the public hopes to see in a new superintendent. Through that forum and in combination with discussions with students, staff, parents and an online questionnaire, the consultancy developed a profile of the ideal candidate.
The consultancy recommended six to the board for interviews. The board is now considering the final three.
The superintendent position became vacant when previous superintendent Sharon Clifford resigned at the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Mr. Parry took the job on a temporary basis.
Additional reporting by Samantha Brix
