Geneva Board of Education looks for Newton successor to lead district
– By Josh Durso
Last week the Geneva City School District named a leader in their superintendent search.
In 2020, Superintendent Trina Newton will leave the district. It’s a process that Board of Education officials say they are taking seriously.
At a meeting early in November, the BOE adopted a resolution identifying Dr. Vicky Ramos, District Superintendent of the Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES, to serve as lead search consultant.
They said Ramos’ appointment would support a thorough, full search, according to Geneva City Schools Public Relations Officer Heather Swanson.
Dr. Ramos says participation and gaining feedback from stakeholders across the spectrum in the city’s district is crucial. That will help the district and community’s priorities to align.
The District’s goal is to name a successor by July 1st, 2020.
“The search timeline is very similar to the timelines and search process used during other regional searches conducted by our organization,” Ramos explained. “The current timeline is organized to give each stakeholder group an opportunity to share feedback, allow for a six-week application period and a comprehensive interview process with the Board of Education and district and community representatives.”
Ramos says she will remain actively involved in the process from start-to-finish.
“My role in the search is to support the Board and facilitate the process. This is their search and our role to support their philosophy and vision to align those with the District’s vision,” she added.
Speaking to the process, and search effort – Board President Dr. José Canario said a major milestone had already been reached.
“We have met one of the most important components of the search process and that is selecting an agency who will assist us, the Board, in getting input from the community, staff, and students regarding what they want in a new superintendent,” Canario told FL1 News. He said finding a person who aligns with the district’s long-term goals is also crucial.
Among those goals: Increasing, then maintaining graduation rates among students; and expanding opportunities for students in the Geneva City School District.
“The biggest opportunity is to get a good sense of where the community stands on our goals for the district and then find a superintendent that will support those goals,” Dr. Canario added.
Another major component of the search process – is finding a leader who can have a visible role in the community. “The next superintendent should have are forward vision for the district, visibility in the community, transparency regarding decisions made, and responsible fiscal management,” the BOE’s president continued. “Our greatest need is continuing to work for increased opportunities for all our students to obtain an excellent education and move through graduation.”
The public will have an opportunity to have a voice in the process at future Board of Education meetings.
Josh Durso is a lifelong resident of the Finger Lakes. When not overseeing the newsroom he’s hosting Inside the FLX: A weekly program on FL1 Radio. Check out the podcast by clicking here, or by visiting www.InsideTheFLX.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FLXJosh, or say hello by clicking here.
Josh is the president and publisher of FingerLakes1.com. Have a question? Send them to [email protected].