Residents offer school chief input

WATKINS GLEN--Now that Watkins Glen Superintendent Tom Phillips has announced he will be retiring in 2017, the district asked the community for their assistance in the search for his replacement. A group of some 25 residents, teachers and school board members came together for an hour Thursday, Sept. 29, to target the desired traits they would like to see in a new superintendent. Following the brainstorming session, the groups highlighted several necessities such as experience and accessibility they would like to see in the future district leader.
The attendees split off into six different groups and listed their ideas, while also emphasizing the ideas of other groups that they agree with. As for experience, the groups listed they wanted someone with between eight and 10 years of experience at multiple levels. One emphasized point was the candidate should know the differences between what it takes to operate a rural school district versus a city school district.
One group, consisting of school board member Barbara Schimizzi, Teacher Alex Richmond, parent Melanie Caslin and parent Magen Kingsley suggested that a new superintendent should be a teacher first and an administrator second. They said this should be someone who "has been in the trenches" and sympathizes with what teachers need. However, the group questioned if CEO or business experience was necessary.
"When you start to see school as a business and not a public service, you lose [the teacher first suggestion,]" Richmond said. "There is a legitimate threat of privatization."
The groups were also concerned with the new superintendent being visible and accessible in the district. Caslin recalls her days as a student in the district, noting the students almost never saw the superintendent. She noted Phillips is more visible to the children and wants that to continue with his replacement. The groups also wanted the superintendent to not only live within the district, but to be involved and invested in it as well.
As for leadership style, good listening skills were key among the groups. They expressed a desire to end "top down leadership." They wanted an administrator who is open-minded when it comes to new information and opposing ideas. This includes an open dialogue amongst both school staff as well as community members. A lot of residents emphasized they wanted to see a superintendent who could "translate budget jargon" and make it more understandable to the public.
The groups listed another priority as having the superintendent be a champion of the school district and working to promote it. This also included the willingness to embrace change using data and research to achieve long-term goals. The groups also wanted a person who would take a realistic approach to technology based on development age and not just utilize trendy technology.