Search for Next Grafflin Principal to Begin in January
The Chappaqua School District will be ringing in the new calendar year in search of a new principal for Douglas C. Grafflin Elementary School.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lyn McKay said last week the district intends to jumpstart its search in January to replace current principal Michael Kirsch, who is set to retire at the end of the school year.
Kirsch was hired in 1975 and has been with the school for 38 years. He announced his retirement shortly after the start of school in September.
McKay said the district would be conducting a two-month search, advertising in various publications. The process would be similar to when the district hired a new principal at Horace Greeley High School and Roaring Brook Elementary School, she said.
McKay stressed during the Dec. 12 board of education meeting that the district would not settle and would “work very hard to find just the right person.”
Following the meeting, she said the district searches for strong instructional leaders and someone who is a good communicator for students, parents and teachers. Someone similar to Kirsch would be welcomed.
“He is a model of what a principal at an elementary school should be,” McKay said. “So he sets the bar high, which is a good thing.”
The process starts with advertising, followed by the screening of candidates. A number of committees also are active in providing input, McKay said. The final candidates go from classroom to classroom with McKay and the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Eric Byrne. Several interviews are held before a final decision is made.
Starting the search in January provides ample time to select the right candidate, even if the next principal isn’t found within the target time.
“We start in January so that if by the end of February we haven’t found the candidate that matches our district then we’ll go out and advertise again,” McKay said. “We’ll run the process twice if we have to.”
The new hire will be just the third principal at Grafflin since the school opened in 1962.
