Seeking a new school leader in RVC

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The search for a new superintendent of schools for the Rockville Centre School District is in full swing. After the announcement of superintendent Dr. William H. Johnson’s retirement, the Board of Education hired the firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to conduct the search. Since then, they have held focus groups, put a survey on the district’s website and held a series of open forums on Oct. 7 at the South South Side Middle School auditorium, which gave residents a chance to voice their hopes for the district’s future.

About two dozen people — mostly parents — attended the morning session, which was moderated by HYA consultant Judy Ferguson, and held in an informal conversational style. The participants came prepared with their talking points, and while all expressed a general enthusiasm for the community, many said there are aspects within the district that could be improved or changed.

“I’m really optimistic about the opportunity for us to have someone new come in,” one woman said. “In a superintendent, I would be looking for someone very goal-oriented. There has been talk of limiting the term of a superintendent and I think that could be very positive.”

Some of the key issues addressed included putting a stronger emphasis on students’ social-emotional learning, particularly at the elementary level, and providing differentiated instruction that includes supporting students at both ends of the spectrum. Many of the parents said they felt the district should offer a program for high achievers in elementary school.

“We should look at other districts to see what they are doing to support students at the elementary level who may need more challenges,” one mother offered.

Others agreed.

“We have a fantastic inclusive school district in so many ways, but we are lacking in several ways,” said another woman, “and there are changes that need to be made. A lot of it has to do with differentiated instruction and programs that we need to help kids on both ends of the spectrum to get through this district. As it is now, we have one program for all. It was tweaked a little bit, but we need to have these programs monitored closely.”

A parent of a high school student brought up the recent changes made to the high school’s International Baccalaureate (I.B.) program and how long it took to get the changes made. “I think there was a lot of frustration in the community at how hard we had to fight to be heard for the district to make those changes to the curriculum,” she said. “I think it eroded the trust that the school district is really willing to listen to what is happening at home and meld what they know as educators with what parents are telling them. I would like to see a systemic change coming from the top, in terms of rebuilding trust and communication between home and school.”

A mother of four young children, two who attend Covert Elementary School, said she would like to see more diversity in the administration and staff, and that there should be professional development for “cultural competence.”

She wants “a superintendent who sees value in diversifying administration and staff…I feel that it’s crucial,” she said. “To raise global citizens, we have to ensure that we have a superintendent who sees this as a priority and understands that we all benefit from diversity.”

A mother of sophomore said the mental health piece is key, noting how the landscape and pressures children face today are very different, and while opportunities for advancement are important, it could be creating too much stress. “Our children are in crisis,” she said, “it’s coming at them from lots of different factors and school is one of them. These opportunities are almost pointless if our kids can’t function.”

Ferguson at one point clarified that HYA was hired to “identify what people feel are important attributes in a superintendent and find candidates who match” that criteria as closely as possible.

“The board will be making the decision on who they hire,” Ferguson said.

Residents have an opportunity to provide input through the survey, which will be available on the district’s website,

rvcschools.org, through Oct. 15. The candidate search will likely be narrowed down by December.