South Orangetown Central School District

Sent via SchoolMessenger on October 3, 2022

Board Retreat & Training

September 2022 Board retreatThe Board of Education held its half-day retreat on September 10, which was facilitated by a New York State School Boards Association trainer and focused on governance and Board roles and responsibilities. “Our Board retreat was an excellent learning experience for all of us,” noted Board President Dana Stilley, Ph.D. “The work we engaged in helped us prepare to move forward in serving our students and their families and supporting our staff collaboratively and effectively.”

 

 

 

Finn, Sansone at new board trainingIn addition, Board members Steven Finn and David Sansone traveled to Albany on September 16 for a NYSSBA new member training on the essentials of school governance.

 

 

 

Board Work in Progress

Superintendent Search: On September 8, our Board of Education approved the hire of School Leadership, LLC to conduct a search for a successor to Superintendent of Schools Robert Pritchard, Ed.D., who will retire on December 31, 2022. The first part of the process is to identify the personal and professional qualities and experiences that our school district community would like the new superintendent of schools to possess. Between October 17-19, School Leadership, LLC will meet with various stakeholder groups to solicit input on specifications the Board should use in its search.

There are three ways for parents, guardians and community members to participate:

  • Attend in-person, community forums:
    • Monday, October 17 at 7:30PM in the South Orangetown Middle School Auditorium
    • Tuesday, October 18 at 10:15AM in the Tappan Zee High School Auditorium
  • Log on for the virtual community forum on Wednesday, October 19 at 8:00PM. Advance registration required. Participants must register via the Google Form posted on the Superintendent Search webpage (www.socsd.org/superintendent-search) by 5PM on Tuesday, October 18. Login information will be emailed to all registrants on Wednesday, October 19.
  • Take the brief, online survey (English | Spanish). Print copies of the survey may also be picked up from any of our school main offices or from the five South Orangetown public libraries. The survey response deadline is Sunday, October 23.

Information regarding the search will continue to be shared with our community as this process progresses and will be posted on the Superintendent Search webpage at www.socsd.org/superintendent-search.

Capital Improvements Bond Project: The September 22 Board of Education workshop focused on an update from the District’s architectural and construction management firms on the District’s $49.9M Capital Improvements Bond project, which was approved by voters in March 2022.

Pending timely New York State Education Department review and approval, Phase I construction is anticipated to start in March 2023 and conclude in October 2024 and encompasses extensive renovations at both elementary schools and the installation of outdoor classrooms at all four schools.

In alignment with this five-year project, the District is exploring the potential benefit of leveraging an energy performance contract to generate financial and energy savings. Following an informational presentation at the September 8 Board meeting, the architectural firm is preparing a detailed proposal for District consideration.

Upcoming Meetings/Workshops

Board of Education Meeting
October 6 at 7:30PM
South Orangetown Middle School Library

Board of Education Workshop
October 20 at 7:30PM
South Orangetown Middle School Library

Please note that meeting dates, times and locations are subject to change. Be sure to check the District’s e-Backpack webpage for the most up-to-date information.

Additional Resources

Board meeting agendas, minutes and audio are posted online at BoardDocs.
Board policies are posted online at BoardPolicyOnline.

Questions? Send an email to the entire Board of Education at feedback@socsd.org.

The Board Brief is a monthly communication from the South Orangetown Central School District Board of Education.