Residents Say SK School Board Was Not Transparent About Sharing Superintendent

By Liz Page

SOUTH KORTRIGHT – The South Kortright Central School community was invited to meet their newly hired interim school superintendent on Monday, followed by the regular board of education meeting. The 30-plus people present for the meeting let the board members know they didn't believe they were transparent enough in the hiring process.

Terri Chichester, president of the SKCS Board of Education, said she would not go back and forth with the audience. She said the hiring was a personnel issue and the board didn't need anyone's permission and that the board was now trying to explain the process. "We don't have to explain at all," she said.

A letter to the community on the school's website states it is not a merger, but a way to have an experienced superintendent who understands what it takes to be part of a rural school. The letter further stated that it will provide stability as they determine if the model of a shared superintendent is something that works for the district. It is a pilot model that ends in 15 months and is providing significant cost savings to both districts.

Dr. Tarkan Ceng, superintendent at Jefferson Central School, will now split his time between SKCS and JCS, as a shared superintendent. He said he is excited about his new position and said he understands the frustration about the process that is an agreement between the two school districts. He replaces Dr. Doug Wyant, who resigned effective Jan. 1, before his contract was due to expire.

Chichester said there was a great deal of concern at the board's December meeting because there were rumors going around that the two schools were merging, however, they had not yet hired Dr. Ceng at that point and therefore couldn't share any information.

Ceng indicated the process involved personnel issues and negotiations which are confidential until the agreement is made.

Ceng started his career in education as a Kindergarten and elementary school teacher. He has taught middle school and has been involved with technical school courses and robotics. He continued his education and entered administration because he believed he could have greater influence. "The board did not hire me permanently. I was very excited when I was approached to work as an interim superintendent at SKCS. This has not been fully vetted and it is a pilot program. I hope it works for everyone," said Ceng.

Janet Beken-Smith, a former member of the board of education, made a comment on behalf of the school community. Although the board could not share the specifics of its personnel discussion they could have been more transparent regarding the options they were exploring in regard to a replacement for the superintendent. "It would have shown some good will. Not knowing who your boss is going to be tomorrow is very stressful," she said, referring to the rumors going around the staff and personnel. "Having an open conversation would have helped that tremendously."

She explained her comments were not targeted at Dr. Ceng, but at the way the school board handled it. She said it was kept in such a block box and closed door process that it generated fear and concern. "A little bit of openness would go a long way."

She said Margaretville Central had done the same thing a few years ago. "You could have done better. You could have done much better," she concluded.

Ceng took his oath of office and said he was looking forward to working with everyone, the faculty and staff and reaching out to the community. Later on he explained he was confronted with a power outage in his first hours on the job. He commended the school staff and said they worked like a well-oiled machine. At 4:30 in the morning they were trying to make the decision whether to close school due to the power outage, when the lights came back on. The transportation and food staff jumped into action and the buses got out on time.

Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond was present to provide information regarding a school resource officer. He said it is a very positive thing. He said he favors a uniformed officer over a private individual. Unfortunately, he said, school incidents are a fact of life now. He has attended enough conferences at this point to know that it is not a matter of if an incident is going to happen, but when is it going to happen.

The School Resource Officer program provides a lot of services. They become a vetted member of the school community. He said many times things can be handled at the school level, but there is that one time they are there that can make a difference. "It has been in place for a number of years and it is a successful program. It has thwarted thousands of potential problems and each school district is different. Some have full time resource officers and others use them for special circumstances.

The cost has been broken down into a flat hourly rate that includes salary, equipment, fringe benefits and insurance. The Delaware County Sheriff's Office is the only accredited law enforcement agency in the county. They are part of the New York Sheriffs Association school officers program and a program built around resource officers. The officers are accredited and receive the appropriate level of training and certification and are available 24/7 to reach out. The cost is $58.57 per hour and includes everything. They can be hired as much or as little as the district wants. Currently they are serving the Stamford Central and Sidney Central school districts full time. They are also at DCMO BOCES and Walton.

In answer to a question, he said the person assigned is consistent to build relationships with the students.

Barb Hanselman asked the board where they were in the budget process. The district treasurer has been working with the budget. One of the issues is adding a bus reserve back into the budget to cover the cost of purchasing buses on schedule in the future..

Chichester told the audience that there would be a budget hearing during a special board of education meeting on March 31 at 6 p.m.. She said this is the time for the public to show up and ask any questions about the budget.

Other important dates include:

SCO Easter Egg Hunt 6-7:30 on April 4; Spring Band Concert, grades 5-14 at 7 p.m. on April 8; Clothing Swap in Harbaugh Hall by the Environmental Club on April 11;Spring Recess, April 14-17; SCO meeting at 6 p.m. and BOE meeting at 7 p.m. on April 21; Spirit Week April 21-25 and Honor Society Inductions 6 p.m. on April 25 and Color Night 7 p.m. on April 25.