Trumansburg school district aims to pick a new superintendent by January

The application period for qualified applicants seeking to become the next superintendent at Trumansburg Central School District (TCSD) has closed.

TCSD Board of Education members said at a recent board meeting that they hope the district will have picked a candidate for the job by January. The search for a new superintendent comes after Superintendent Kimberly Bell announced in September that she will retire in January 2025. 

The TCSD Board of Education discussed the ongoing search at its Nov. 5 meeting, which can be viewed in full here :

“The deadline for applications closed on Oct. 25,” said Megan Williams, the board of education’s president. 

Williams said Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga (TST) BOCES District Superintendent Lily Talcott is helping with the board’s search as a consultant. Talcott is also the CEO of TST BOCES and has experience with staff searches for Tompkins County districts.

“Superintendent Talcott sent out a letter requesting and inviting anyone who is interested to participate in our stakeholder feedback group,” Williams said.

The application to be a part of the group closed on Nov. 8.

“Yesterday [Nov. 4], a summary was sent out to the district with the highlights from the community feedback survey that was done, and we had 313 responses to that,” Williams said. “We will be meeting with Superintendent Talcott regularly throughout the month of November, now that the application deadline has passed, to review applications and start to narrow down the candidates.”

A summary of the results of that engagement survey was uploaded to the district’s website on Nov. 4. Out of the 313 responses, 227 of them came from parents and family members, 47 from concerned members of the community, 33 from staff members, 26 from district alumni and 13 from local government officials and business owners. The rest came from students, but that number was kept hidden in Talcott’s summary.

“The responses highlight a desire for a superintendent with a background in teaching, strong communication skills, financial acumen, and a commitment to community and staff,” Talcott wrote on a slide. “Key strengths of the district include a caring and involved community, small class sizes, and strong arts and sports programs.”

Responses on areas for potential improvement, Talcott wrote, focused mainly on enhancing communication, supporting both struggling and advanced placement students and maintaining and expanding educational programs. 

Respondents also emphasized the importance of inclusivity, transparency and innovative thinking in addressing future challenges and opportunities, Talcott wrote.

Other key findings from the survey included the following:

• Respondents highly value the sense of community, care from staff and the strong involvement from parents and teachers.
• Respondents also value the importance of supporting students’ mental health and well-being.
• Respondents said that they are also looking for someone who can address operational concerns, such as efficient morning drop-off plans, better handling of bullying incidents and improving teacher retention.
• Extracurriculars like arts, sports and other extracurricular activities should also continue to be supported by the next leader, respondents said. Respondents also noted that they want to find a leader who values and promotes these programs so that they remain robust and accessible.

“We are seeking students, staff, families, and community members to take part in a series of finalist interviews for the next superintendent,” Talcott said in a letter sent to district stakeholders. “Your voice and perspective are essential to this process.”

Interviews among the two or three selected stakeholder groups, of about 10-15 people each, will take place at the TCSD campus Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

“The board of education aims to ensure diverse representation across the organization and community for each of these groups,” Talcott wrote. “The groups will be facilitated by TST BOCES administration to ensure a smooth and productive process. Participants will be asked to prepare one interview question and be ready to engage thoughtfully with the candidates.”

Participants in these groups will have heard from the district by Nov. 25 with further instructions.

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Ulysses Philomathic Library announced closures Nov. 28 and 29 for Thanksgiving, as well as Dec. 24-26 for the winter holidays. Additionally, the library will not be open on New Year’s Day.

“We do close our doors in the case of severe weather or extended power outage, to protect the safety of our staff and volunteers,” a post on the library’s website says. “These closures are typically announced on the front page of our website as well as via social media.”