Eric Hartz named acting Newfield district superintendent

In a normal year, a story about a retiring superintendent and new leadership would have been big news in a small community like Newfield. In 2020, amid fears and changes brought about by the pandemic, this news barely received notice or acknowledgment.

To those not directly involved in the school district, former Middle School Principal Eric Hartz’s appointment as acting superintendent on July 1 may have come as a surprise.

To explain, it is necessary to go back to March 13, the day Elementary Principal Vicky Volpicelli learned that Superintendent Cheryl Thomas had been placed on administrative leave by the Board of Education. Not only that, but the Board wanted her to fill the void as acting superintendent.

Volpicelli, who had been with the district since 1984, accepted the responsibility without a second thought. Her only caveat was that the appointment be on a short-term basis since she had already filed for retirement with an effective date of June 30.

Within an hour of assuming her new role, Volpicelli received the second shock of the day: Tompkins County schools were closing for in-person instruction due to COVID-19. Students and teachers who had left on buses that afternoon would not be returning on Monday morning.

“Friday the 13th will go down as an all-time legendary day around here,” Hartz said. “Vicky took it all in stride and steered the district through those uncharted waters. I just picked up where she left us.”

According to Hartz, working with Volpicelli made the transition an easy one.

“She has such a kind way about her, but she’s not afraid to make the tough decisions,” he said.

Hartz had to hit the ground running and make some tough decisions of his own. One of his first duties was to draft a reopening plan for September to be submitted to the state by July 31. He did so by gathering a lot of input from faculty, staff, parents and students.

“We put out five different surveys, held Zoom meetings, formed a committee,” Hartz said. “I’m not the kind of leader who comes in and says, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do.’ I realize that I can’t make everyone happy, but I need everyone’s opinion to make good decisions.”

Hartz appreciates the staff and community’s willingness to be flexible and consider some creative solutions as the district grapples with new realities.

“Representatives of both the teachers’ and CSEA unions have been involved in every decision and have taken the attitude of ‘How can we help?’” Hartz said.

Hartz credits the administrative team for their hard work developing the plan, stating that a leader is only as good as those working with him. The team’s effectiveness is particularly impressive since every member is either new to the district, new to administration or serving in a new role. Turnover and budget constraints necessitated a total restructuring of administrative personnel for the upcoming school year.

In addition to Volpicelli, Technology Director Cathy Griggs and Director of Special Programs Cheryl Jackson also retired in June. Sunny Miller will return to Newfield as the new director of technology, while special education teacher Ben Mueller will act as director of special programs as an administrative intern this fall.

Patrick Mahunik, high school principal, will now oversee the middle school as well. Laine Gillette, formerly the elementary vice principal, will step into the principal position. David Shaw was hired as business administrator in July to replace Debra Eichholtz, who resigned in March.

A strong proponent of open communication and transparency, Hartz wants everyone to know what is going on every step of the way. To that end, he distributed an advance copy of the reopening plan to parents via email and held an open Zoom meeting on July 27 to respond to questions from the community. (A copy of the plan and a recording of the meeting will be available on the school website after July 31 at newfieldschools.org. Submit questions to reopening@newfieldschools.org.)

Hartz realizes that the plan is only step one. He hopes to get an idea of what parents need in the way of day care and technology so that the district can provide support in those areas. A separate survey dealing only with technology was mailed to every student’s household.

“We asked if they have reliable Wi-Fi at home and also if they have a device for every child,” Hartz said.

Last spring, the district provided over 120 computers to families who needed them. The devices were collected and will be reallocated to students this fall.

While Hartz acknowledges that some people might see this as the worst time to become a superintendent, he’s excited by the possibilities.

“We have the opportunity to reimagine what school might look like,” Hartz said.

One thing he’s heard from parents and teachers is that some kids “blossomed” in a virtual learning environment. Instead of conforming to a set schedule or stopping after a particular lesson, students were able to advance at their own pace and follow their own interests.

“Instead of holding them back, let’s let kids go in directions they want to go,” Hartz said.

He hopes that teachers will have the opportunity to offer more electives online and to teach in ways that more closely resemble what students will see in higher education or employment situations.

Asked about his own future plans, Hartz said he’ll probably be ready to retire in about five years. In the meantime, he’s content to stay right where he is.

“Depending on the outcome of the contract dispute between Thomas and the Board of Education, my appointment could become permanent,” he said.

In fact, the employment agreement approved at the July 9 board meeting states just that.

Jennifer Pawlewicz, board president, confirmed that there are no plans to conduct a superintendent search, though she did not comment on the ongoing personnel matter.

“We’d like to keep Eric in that role. The new administrative team brings energy and creativity to the district,” Pawlewicz said.

Hartz believes it is important for experienced educators to support and mentor young people coming into the field. After 25 years as a teacher and administrator at all different grade levels, he’s got a lot of knowledge to share. One of the most important lessons has to do with self-care, even in stressful times.

“I stepped away from education for four years before coming to Newfield,” he said. “My wife thought I was going to die from a heart attack. After a while, I missed the kids, and it felt like there was a piece I hadn’t accomplished yet.”

When Hartz returned to education, he approached it with a different attitude.

“This is what I love to do, but I realize that I can only do so much in a day,” he said. “I know that I’m going to make mistakes, but I try to do the best I can and move forward.”