The Guilderland Central School District Board of Education met with Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent Lauren J. Gemmill on Tuesday, Dec. 10, to outline their plan for finding the next superintendent of schools.
The district will conduct a comprehensive confidential search throughout December and the spring, to replace Dr. Marie Wiles, who announced her intent to retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year. A Q&A section about the search can be found below.
The first step in the search process was to gather community input via an online survey and focus groups.
Between Dec. 12, 2024 and Jan. 10, 2025, a brief, anonymous survey collected feedback on the desired characteristics and skills for the next superintendent. The survey was for all members of the greater school community, including students, parents, staff and residents.
In addition, all members of the community were invited to participate in a focus group that fit their demographic. Virtual meetings required an RSVP with a valid email address, as they were held on Zoom. A Zoom meeting link was shared to the email address at least four hours prior to the meeting.
A schedule of focus groups is below in Date – Group, Time, Location format:
- Wednesday, Dec. 11 – High School Support Staff, 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 11 – High School Faculty, 3:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 12 – High School Students, 8 a.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 12 – GCSD Expanded Leadership, 3:15 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 16 – All Elementary Staff, 2:15 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 17 – All Elementary Faculty, 2:15 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 17 – All Support Staff, 6-7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 18 – Middle School Support Staff, 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 18 – Middle School Faculty, 3:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 19 – District Office Team, 8 a.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 19 – District Office Staff, 9 a.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 19 – All faculty, 6 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 20 – Transportation Staff, 9 a.m.
- Friday, Dec. 20 – Maintenance Mechanic Group, 10 a.m.
- Friday, Dec. 20 – Non-instructional supervisors, 11 a.m.
- Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2025 – Guilderland Elected Officials, 9-10 a.m.
- Monday, Jan. 6, 2025 – Community, 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 – Community, 6 p.m.
Feedback from the survey and focus groups informed the invitation to apply, which went live on Jan. 21, 2025, and interview questions for candidates.
The board’s goal is to have the next superintendent in place by summer 2025.
Superintendent Search Q&A
Is the Board of Education conducting the superintendent search on its own?
The Guilderland Board of Education is working with the Capital Region BOCES district superintendent to conduct the search for the next superintendent of schools.
What is a confidential superintendent search?
A confidential superintendent search means that all applicants for the position of superintendent of schools will apply directly to BOCES. BOCES and the Board of Education will work together to identify, from the entire applicant pool, who meets the criteria and those candidates who will be interviewed. The board will see ALL applications, but they will first be submitted to BOCES.
Why is a confidential search necessary?
This process has greater success in attracting sitting superintendents and other education professionals who prefer their candidacy for the Guilderland position not be made public. Without confidentiality, there is a very limited candidate pool. Conducting a confidential search increases the likelihood that the most qualified candidates will apply for the position.
Are there opportunities for public input?
Yes! With the BOCES district superintendent, the district conducted a community survey from Dec. 11, 2024 to Jan. 10, 2025. On the survey, community members were asked to provide input on the following questions:
- What are the strengths of the Guilderland Central School District?
- What needs to be improved?
- What characteristics and personal attributes should the new superintendent have?
- What will the new superintendent need to work on first?
- Do you have any additional thoughts or comments?
A number of focus groups were also held to collect feedback from members of the GCSD community. All input given by the community will be taken into consideration by members of the Board of Education throughout their interviewing and vetting process.
What’s next?
Interested candidates will be invited to apply beginning Jan. 21, 2025. The application materials will be due to the BOCES district superintendent by Feb. 24, 2025. After that date, the BOCES district superintendent and Board of Education begin the interview process. Selected applicants will complete at least two rounds of interviews with the board.
Once a candidate is chosen, they will be vetted through a process led by the BOCES team before a formal offer is made. The board expects that the new superintendent will be appointed in the spring and begin in Guilderland in July 2025.
Survey and focus group feedback
The Guilderland Central School District Board of Education would like to thank all of the community members who took the time to share their thoughts and opinions in one of the 19 superintendent search focus groups or in the online survey.
We had more than 194 participants in the focus groups and 233 people took the survey and we learned so much from your feedback. It guided us in creating the invitation to apply for superintendent of schools, which is now live on the district website, and will help form interview questions in this next step of the process.
Guilderland has so many strengths. Among them, those that were shared again and again by our community made it very clear that we excel in our commitment to student-centered education. Themes we heard as strengths include:
- Clear communication
- Talented and dedicated faculty and staff
- Commitment to meet the needs of each and every child
- Our academic offerings, from electives to extracurriculars
- Our collaborative and inclusive culture
Unsurprisingly, some themes that emerged as strengths also emerged as areas for improvement. Themes we gathered as areas to be improved include:
- The need for more communication and transparency
- Updated and improved facilities
- Resource allocation
- School culture and morale
We know our next leader will need to build relationships and trust, and the successful candidate must foster a sense of community while learning the systems and practices currently in place.
The application window is now open until Feb. 28, at which time we will begin screening and candidate interviews, with our three assistant superintendents serving as confidential advisers to the board of education.