Eric Hartz becomes superintendent of Newfield schools

The Newfield Central School District’s Board of Education voted to officially appoint Eric Hartz as superintendent at its March 18 meeting.

Hartz had been appointed as interim superintendent on July 1, 2020, and the Board’s vote to appoint him in March, which was unanimous, made his appointment official. Board President Jennifer Pawlewicz cheered at the vote.

“We are very excited to have you, Eric, and moving forward in an exciting new direction of transparency and excellent communication and just moving the district back on track, so thank you,” she said.

Hartz expressed his gratitude to the Board for voting to appoint him as superintendent.

“I want to thank all of you in the Board,” Hartz said. “Thank you very much for your support. I’m really excited for the next four-plus years. You’re all wonderful people to work with, and I will miss the ones that are stepping down. But thank you very much for your support tonight. It means a lot to me.”

The Board also discussed filling the four anticipated vacancies on the Board. Pawlewicz said that Board members Tim Payne and Christina Ward plan on running again and encouraged eligible community members to run for the Board.

“It’s a very dedicated position that is very worthwhile and can be very fulfilling,” Pawlewicz said. “It also takes dedication and time.”

Pawlewicz said she uploaded documents about the Board of Education nomination process onto BoardDocs, the website used to host information on Newfield Board meetings, and the documents can also be obtained at the district office. She said that the guidelines for nomination were updated and that District Clerk Amy Brown made any prospective candidates aware of the changes.

The Board voted to accept three employees’ resignations. The retiring employees were Marissa Langendoerfer, teacher aide; Deloise Wali, assistant to the director of special services; and Bob Fisher, network support specialist.

Hartz thanked the three retirees for their service to the district.

“When you make that choice to retire, you’ll always be a Newfield person,” Hartz said. “You’ve worked hard and tirelessly here to help our kids, and that’s what’s important.”

Principals report on students’ well-being

The principals of Newfield’s schools gave the Board reports on how their students are navigating pandemic-related challenges.

Elementary School Principal Laine Gillette spoke about having surveyed parents about returning to in-person instruction. She said she has 50 virtual families, with students who are exclusively doing remote learning, and that 27 students want to come back to in-person classes after the April break.

Gillette said the school is also looking at changing the daily schedule, with a later start time for the elementary school. She said she proposed a second bus run in the morning to allow a later start time for students, faculty and staff.

The day before the meeting, Gillette sent a survey to ask parents what they are looking for at the elementary school. She said she received 95 responses by the time she left work on the day of the meeting.

“Parents really are looking for that extra opportunity for their child to connect with our school and are really trying to build a stronger school and community connection with our children, especially after COVID,” Gillett said.

Middle and High School Principal Pat Mahunik spoke about the middle school starting a student services team, with a referral piece for students who are struggling. He said the team reviewed referrals every week and that 11 out of 13 students who were referred since January “had turned it around” and will likely pass their classes.

Mahunik gave the Board an update about extracurricular activities, mentioning that he is excited that the drama clubs at the middle and high school are rehearsing for virtual performances. He later brought up an email from the Food Pantry praising potential Honor Society students for helping out every other week.

Mahunik also explained how the coaches are handling eligibility concerns after the Board voted to suspend eligibility requirements at its March 4 meeting. He said that students and coaches are acting responsibly, with students keeping up with their schoolwork and coaches holding their students accountable. According to Mahunik, when one student chose not to meet his coach’s academic expectations of him, the coach removed him from the team.

“The coaches are taking it serious, and it’s good to see that motivation’s there, and a lot of kids are starting to turn that around,” Mahunik said.

Mahunik said he will review students’ grades and check in with coaches to make sure they are doing the right thing. He reiterated that student-athletes and actors are students first and said it is important to support them.

“It was just great to see that they are really going above and beyond,” Mahunik said.