Staffing changes make for a new start at Webutuck

WEBUTUCK — The last few months have struck the Webutuck Central School District hard. One could say it started as far back as March, when Webutuck’s high school principal resigned. Since then, an alarming number of school administrators have left the district: two athletic directors, a superintendent, a middle school principal and the high school nurse, among others.

But amid the dust kicked up over the summer months, the 2009-10 school year is gearing up to begin. This marks the first year the district will operate without the Amenia Elementary School building, which the Board of Education (BOE) voted to close down (with the public’s support). Due to that closure, the entire student layout has changed to reflect a more consolidated campus approach to local education.

The schools are changing, the policies are changing and the general feeling around Webutuck is that this year will be different. Over the last few weeks, The Millerton News reached out to several key members of Webutuck’s administration and Board of Education, to speak about what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

A new superintendent

There are two things you should know about David Paciencia, Webutuck’s new interim superintendent. The first is that he will never personally close the door to his office. The second is that he is not the interim superintendent.

At least not in mind-set, he said.

“There are those who will take an interim job and do it differently [than a permanent position],� he said. “I told this board, when I take the job I am the superintendent. I am here for a complete, full day. I will be at every major activity. It’s the only way I know how to do the job correctly.�

He further explained the idea by using the idea of a substitute teacher as an example. When a substitute comes in for a day, he said, it’s often treated as a day when nothing gets done.

“The only way to do this job, moving forward, is as if I’ll be here forever,� he said. “If I approach it in any other way, I’ve already failed. And failure’s not an option. We can’t fail these kids.�

Remembering the past, without dwelling on the negative

Paciencia acknowledged that he has heard about some of the issues affecting the school over the past year, but he noted he’s arriving at the district at the end of its staff upheaval.

Michael O’Neil filled the role of interim superintendent for three weeks before Paciencia. During that period, from the end of July to the middle of August, O’Neil acknowledged that there were “a lot of unanswered questions.� He explained that Richard Johns, Webutuck’s former superintendent who left at the end of July, had kept his schedule very minimal during the end of his time in the district, and as a result many issues were unresolved.

“People had no one to go to,� O’Neil explained during an interview on the last day of his residency. “All three weeks have been trying to take those [issues] one at a time.

“Or maybe five at a time,� he admitted, laughing.

Pinpointing the cause of problems is often difficult. Some, like the problems surrounding the athletic department that were a major issue for many parents at the end of the last school year, seem to be personnel-based. Others, like the illegal purchase of a dump truck by the school that attracted attention during several board meetings, were partially attributed to insufficient policies and procedures.

O’Neil didn’t talk about specifics, but explained that expectations need to be set for all employees.

“It’s a part of any job,� he said. “And it’s a positive for the district that we don’t hang on to personnel. Turnover’s not good, of course, but we also want the best for the kids ... It’s unfortunate that a lot of [staff changes] happened at once, but we have found some fabulous people to take the reins of some very important jobs.�

Board of Education President Dale Culver was less positive about the way the district has been run over the last few years.

“There have been a number of situations where it took far too long to do far too little,� he lamented. “And that’s our fault as a board. Some things we’ve let fester along. The same issues continued to arise, and information came out at a snail’s pace. That’s a poor way to establish faith or trust in the community.�

What the district needs

to succeed

Culver has been using the phrase “accountability� during recent board meetings, as one of the values that the district will be working on moving forward.

The athletic department is an example of the district infusing a level of accountability into its programs. This year, Robert Wood will be filling the role of director of athletics, while Aaron Kelly will hold the title of athletic director. Wood will be overseeing the day-to-day operations Kelly will be performing, including an inventory of equipment that is sorely needed.

“It was something the last few athletic directors were supposed to do, but didn’t,� O’Neil said. “Now two people will be having direction and lots of conversation.�

Accountability will be the result of teamwork and communication, Culver said.

“I am one small piece of this vast district,� Paciencia said. “And we don’t want any weak links. I’ve got to be a member of this whole team. We all own this school, and we have to have a genuine interest in each and every child who walks through these doors.�

While O’Neil is no longer serving as superintendent, he will continue to act as mentor to the district’s two principals, Drew Hopkins and Katy McEnroe. Condensing the three positions into two will mean more communication, the board is hoping, which will in turn produce a tight-knit group working toward the same goals.

“I think we have a great administrative team,� said McEnroe. “We’re in close proximity, but we’re also building connections. I think we’re really going to become a K-12 district.�

“We’ve got a lot of goals,� Hopkins explained, “and in order to best accomplish them, it’s easier to work as a team. Five heads are better than one. We’re very excited, and really looking forward to providing a more seamless experience for the kids here.�

O’Neil reported that everyone has met that attitude with open support.

“We need continuity and consistency and communication,� he said. “I’ve said those three words so many times ... And I have extremely positive feelings about the people who are in place right now.�

Public relations a must

Back to that open superintendent’s door: “You’ll never find that door closed unless someone else closes it,� Paciencia said, who added that his quite-literal open-door policy often takes people by surprise. “It’s my office, but I don’t own it. The taxpayers do. I don’t have secrets.�

Culver agreed.

“We as a board are seeking people with transparency, honesty and integrity who put forward their best effort in anything they do. It’s important to have stable operating principles,� Culver said. “A problem doesn’t need to fester for months and months before it gets a light shined on it.�

Culver also stressed the amount of work that the board has to put into getting the district back on track in time for the 2009-10 school year.

“I couldn’t be prouder of how hard my board has worked over the past 18 months,� he said.

With the start of school approaching, everyone interviewed said they hoped the dust that has been kicked up in the last few months is finally settling, and they have high hopes for Sept. 9, the start of school.

“The new superintendent is a tremendously calming factor,� said O’Neil. “This district is poised to start to fire on all cylinders again. They’ve done it before. There was a two-year span when I was here before when everybody was 100 percent. And the results started to show in state testing.�

“We need to hit the ground running on opening day,� Paciencia reiterated. “Not looking back, but looking forward, and give every single child the chance to be challenged and measured up to what they’re capable of doing. We have to believe every child can succeed. And whatever the obstacles are for them, our job is to get rid of them.�

The success of the school moving forward will be measured in the next few months, but one of the most immediate changes is the new-found confidence felt speaking with people excited about the start of school.

“I know this will be a turning point,� said Culver. “And the seven board members are very resolute in knowing that things absolutely have to change. Those kids deserve it and it’s our obligation to do so.

“I can actually say the other day I went and met with a team of people [from school]. It was the most exciting, and in the end humbling, feeling I’ve had about our school in a while,� he said. “We’re in this together. The kids are the focal point, and the future for each and every one of them counts.�

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