SCS Elementary School Principal Leaving in Jan. - Schoharie Seeking Interim for Remainder of Year

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - After 10 years as principal at Schoharie elementary school Andrea Polikoski is returning to her home district.

Ms. Polikoski has accepted the position as the principal of Glen-Worden Elementary School in the Scotia-Glenville Central School District and will be leaving Schoharie on January 2. SCS received Mrs. Polikoski’s resignation letter on November 19 appointment by the Scotia-Glenville Board of Education.

Mrs. Polikoski spent a decade at Schoharie as the elementary principal. Under her leadership, numerous programs to improve academic performance, student wellness and the school’s climate were implemented, district officials said. She also played a key role in the district’s initial response to the pandemic, as well as the school years that followed as the district strove to maintain as much normalcy as possible, while keeping students and staff safe.

SCS Superintendent David Blanchard, who has also been at SCS for 10 years, thanks Ms. Polikoski for her time at Schoharie at the school board's November 21 meeting.

"She did a great job for us. We thank her for her service," Mr. Blanchard said.

“We sincerely thank Andrea for her long-time leadership of the Elementary School. We wish her the best as she transitions to her new district. We will keep staff and families updated as more information becomes available on the vacancy created by Andrea’s departure,” Mr. Blanchard added.

For Mrs. Polikoski, her departure from Schoharie also means a move to the community in which her family resides.

“When I arrived in Schoharie I established expectations for the elementary school. ‘Be a community’ was one of my top four. It represents the importance that we work, live, and play together in a productive and kind society,” Mrs. Polikoski said on the district website. “I am grateful for the people I’ve met during my work at Schoharie Elementary School, and know they are on the path to academic excellence and kindness.”

Mr. Blanchard noted that Kevin Calacone had spent nine years as high school principal before leaving for another position last year.

Those lengths of time at one district says a lot about Schoharie Central School, Mr. Blanchard noted.

Schoharie will be seeking an interim principal to serve out the remainder of the school year, Mr. Blanchard said Thursday. It would be difficult to find a permanent principal since the opening came in the middle of the school year.