The search remains ongoing for people to fill the position of Superintendent at both Cassadaga Valley and Pine Valley schools.

David O’Rourke, District Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer for Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, who has been helping both schools with the process, said both searches have been going well and are currently on schedule. The timelines for the searches are six months apart.

“At Pine Valley the application window just closed and the board will be reviewing all applicants in executive session,” O’Rourke said. “At Cassadaga the brochure will be published later this Fall for a timeline that intends to seat a new superintendent July 1.”

O’Rourke emphasized that the task of selecting the new superintendent for each school is the responsibility of the school board, but as a search consultant his responsibility is to assist the board and help support the work.

“A good search helps a board focus on upcoming needs for their school community,” O’Rourke said. “So the beginnings of a search focus on gathering perspectives from the community and developing a job specification to help meet those identified needs.”

O’Rourke added that brochures for superintendents are advertised statewide and that candidates are all vetted carefully, with boards reviewing every one. Boards often conduct multiple interviews and include others in the community in their decision.

“Typically, boards conduct multiple interviews, and often boards choose to involve important voices from the school community when finalists are selected and interviewed,” O’Rourke said. “Groups may be organized, including parents, teachers, staff, students and administration. By the time a search reaches its final stage, my aim is for the board to consider the best fit among a number of outstanding candidates.”

The plan is for a new superintendent to be seated at Pine Valley on Jan. 1, and at Cassadaga Valley on July 1. While searches are still in the early stages, O’Rourke said things are going to plan for each school.

“Every search is unique,” O’Rourke said. “School systems’ needs vary and the challenges boards navigate are different in every school system. The boards each have publicly identified timelines and communicated the aims of their searches in letters to their school communities.”