Ossining School Board Taps Interim Superintendent
With superintendent Dr. Phyllis Glassman stepping aside in five months, the Ossining Board of Education appointed an interim superintendent and expressed its commitment to a national search for the permanent position at its school board meeting last week.
Glassman, who’s entering her sixth year as superintendent, announced her retirement late last month, effective Jan. 14, 2013. At its July 25 meeting, the board appointed current deputy superintendent Raymond Sanchez to serve as the district’s acting superintendent from the date of Glassman’s retirement until the district finds a more permanent replacement.
“With confidence the Board of Education has determined that Mr. Raymond Sanchez demonstrates the leadership, expertise, and commitment to ensure continuity in the many district initiatives and goals upon the retirement of our current superintendent of schools until such time as the board appoints a successor,” Board of Education President Bill Kress wrote in a district “O-Blasts” email to community members.
Glassman, an Ossining resident who wears a “Children First” pin on her jacket, said last Wednesday that multiple considerations led to her retirement, but it’s the right decision for her at this time.
“I’m thrilled with the progress the district has made, and in a certain way I’ll be very sad to leave the district,” Glassman said after the meeting. “I’ve seen such positive growth and such commitment on the part of so many people.”
While she admits it’ll be difficult to leave a district for which she’s worked for 20 years and “loved every minute of,” Glassman said she’s has the ultimate confidence in the man who will temporarily succeed her. With the recognitions Sanchez has compiled both regionally and statewide, and his ability to work collaboratively with administrators, parents and teachers, he’s a fitting interim superintendent, Glassman said.
Besides being Ossining’s deputy superintendent, Sanchez also currently serves as the president for the Lower Hudson Council of School Personnel Administrators and is an adjunct professor at Mercy College and Manhattanville College. In the past, he’s served as the president of the Putnam/Northern BOCES Curriculum Council and a liaison for the New York State Association of Bilingual Educators. He also was a recipient of the Raymond Delany Award from the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
“Mr. Sanchez is an incredible leader. He’s dedicated. He has demonstrated achievements in this district,” Glassman said. “… He’s committed to the success of each and every child.”
Sanchez thanked the other board members at the meeting for trusting him in his new role once January arrives, and said he wants to make sure that once a permanent superintendent is hired, that he or she will be left in a good position.
“I know together collaboratively will continue to strive for excellence come January to whenever the search is over,” Sanchez said.
Glassman said that the search for a new superintendent could range from a few months to possibly beyond a year, but she is hopeful that the right person is found within a reasonable time frame. The best candidate, she said, is someone who is knowledgeable in multiple areas like instruction, curriculum, instruction, personnel, and has the expectation that all Ossining students can reach high educational levels.
The next superintendent should be “someone’s who’s willing to be dedicated and committed, live, breathe, and sleep Ossining to make sure our district remains on the cutting edge of all educational areas,” Glassman said.
With that criteria, the board emphasized the search will be a nationwide one that will require patience and care to ensure the district ends up with the best possible candidate.
“We want to do the search right,” board member Graig Galef said during the meeting. “We’re not going to rush this; we’re not going to make a rash decision.”
By David Propper
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
