Aug. 30, 2024
Dear New Hartford Central School District Community,
As you may already be aware, Dr. Cosimo Tangorra Jr. announced in June 2024 his intention to retire in March 2025, and the New Hartford Central School District has initiated the process of hiring a new Superintendent of Schools. As the search consultant, I will be facilitating this process on behalf of the New Hartford CSD Board of Education. On behalf of the Board, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself, explain my role in this confidential search process and share next steps with you.
As District Superintendent of the Sole Supervisory District of Oneida-Herkimer-Madison Counties and BOCES, I serve as the field representative of the New York State Commissioner of Education and as the Executive Officer of the OHM BOCES. In my role as the Commissioner’s representative, I act as a consultant for individual districts and as a liaison between districts and the State Education Department. Upon request, I can also be appointed by a Board of Education to act as a consultant in the Board’s selection of a Superintendent of Schools.
Search Consultant
On August 15, 2024, the New Hartford CSD Board of Education passed a resolution appointing me as the search consultant for the Superintendent of Schools position at their special meeting. As the search consultant, my duty is to assist the Board over the next several months in recruiting, screening and evaluating candidates for the Superintendent position. This includes helping to develop selection criteria, coordinating meetings with students, staff and teachers, parents/guardians and community members, developing materials describing the position, placing advertisements, screening applicants and assisting the Board throughout the interview process.
Although I serve as the search consultant, the Board of Education, consisting of members having been elected by the New Hartford community, ultimately holds the sole authority to appoint a Superintendent of Schools and enter into an employment contract with the successful candidate. Input from students, staff and teachers, parents/guardians and community members is valued and will be relied upon by the Board of Education throughout the search process.
Search Options
During my presentation to the Board on August 15, I reviewed the two most common types of searches — open and confidential. During an open search, candidate names are disclosed and staff and teachers, students, parents/guardians and community members often have the opportunity to meet candidates prior to a Board appointment, usually once the Board has selected finalists. During a confidential search, all candidate names remain confidential for the entire process, up to and through a Board appointment. After careful consideration, the Board has selected a confidential search.
Confidential Search
Confidential searches aim to attract experienced administrators who maintain positive collaborative relationships with their communities and Boards of Education. The nature of a confidential search allows candidates to participate in the process while mitigating the risk to their current circumstance, a consideration that may inhibit leaders from applying for other positions through open search processes. Unlike an open search where stakeholders would meet the finalist(s) before a Board appointment, a confidential search does not disclose the finalist(s) name(s) at any time, and the Board will appoint the candidate directly.
The Superintendent Search process is highly competitive among districts and fewer applicants than in prior years apply for these positions across New York State. A confidential search places the New Hartford CSD in the best position to attract highly qualified applicants for consideration.
School & Community Participation
Throughout this search, the Board will seek input with regard to the characteristics and qualifications sought for the next Superintendent, key strengths and attributes of the District, potential areas for growth and improvement and the experiences of parents/guardians, students, staff and teachers, and community members relating to these topics. Additionally, participation will also be sought in development of the guiding statement for the search. For the New Hartford CSD, this input will be gathered through a series of surveys, forums and meetings. The feedback gained from students, staff and teachers, parents/guardians and community members is used in the following ways:
- Data from the surveys, forums and meetings will be used to draft a guiding statement for the search. The New Hartford Board of Education will also invite participants in the development of this guiding statement. The statement is designed to capture the significant themes and perspectives expressed by the school community regarding the needs of the District and what it seeks from the new superintendent. This statement is used throughout the search.
- The guiding statement and feedback from students, staff and teachers, parents/guardians and community members will also be used in the development of questions, scenarios, written work and assignments that candidates must complete. Additionally, the guiding statement is used to continuously gauge each applicant’s fit with the District throughout the search process and maintain a focus on the themes and priorities that were identified.
Additional Information
Additional information on how to participate and share input, along with updates on the progress of the search will be shared and updated through:
- The New Hartford Superintendent Search webpage;
- press releases distributed to local newspapers and media outlets; and
- the New Hartford CSD mass notification system (ParentSquare).
Search Timeline
A timeline including opportunities for participation and the Board’s interview process is outlined below.
- September 9 through September 18 – A survey requesting input regarding the desired qualifications, characteristics and attributes of the new superintendent will be available.
- September 23 through October 2 – A survey requesting insights into the current mission statement of the New Hartford CSD, the perceived strengths of the District and areas of growth or improvement will be available.
- November 2024 – Focus groups to gather and understand the experiences of parents/guardians, students, staff and teachers and community members regarding the mission statement, strengths and areas of growth of the New Hartford CSD will be held.
- December 2024 – Focus group(s) development of the superintendent search guiding statement is anticipated.
- January 2025 – The Board of Education plans to conduct its confidential candidate selection and interview process.
I look forward to assisting the Board of Education in any way that I can throughout this time of transition!
Sincerely,
Patricia N. Kilburn, Ed.D.
District Superintendent
Search Consultant, New Hartford Central School District