Welcome Message July 2022

Dear Edgemont Families,

I am delighted to be the new Superintendent of the Edgemont Union Free School District. I know you are interested in knowing what my goals and vision are for moving forward. I can also appreciate that there is a natural degree of anticipation with the advent of new leadership.

 I welcome the opportunity to hear your thoughts and concerns. I welcome suggestions that will help move our district forward and achieve our collective goals for excellence. It is my intent to be very visible in schools, and in the community. For the record, I have no plans to make any drastic, sweeping changes. I believe it is imperative that I learn the culture of the community, its people, and the values in order to best understand how to implement a well-informed course of action. However, in the interim, I will not overlook any opportunities to use my experience and expertise to help move the needle. My general approach is to move gradually, and systematically while I listen, observe, and use my interaction with members of the educational community to make informed choices, and decisions. These decisions will reflect the input of others as I believe collaboration, and utilizing the voices, and experience of stakeholders is essential. 

Regardless of the position you hold in the organization, your voice matters. Principals, teachers, support staff, parents, and our children all have a place and space in the organization. Every decision we make must be in the best interests of children. We must pursue excellence in what we do and how we close the say-do gap. Specifically, how does what we say, and what we do match our priorities and belief system as a school district? It is my belief that we must strive to not only meet and exceed high expectations but to also build the capacity for dialogue with our colleagues and stakeholders.  We must always model civility and good character for our children to emulate. 

I am excited about the months and years ahead. I completely recognize the pitfall of making complex issues appear simplistic. Educating children is a complex balancing act. As a result of my focus groups to date, I have prioritized enhancing the district curriculum and building greater capacity with our district employees. 

It is my commitment to examine policies and practices in order to identify opportunities to advance the district and address the needs of all students, regardless of where they fall on the continuum of excellence. I am genuinely enthusiastic about being a member of the Edgemont community and meeting each of you personally. Having had several focus groups already, I am well aware of the district’s mission, commitment to students, and the love that our teachers have for working in Edgemont.  I am confident that we will be successful together and that this approach to collaboration will build a mutually respectful, supportive environment that will make our journey together fruitful. If you have not had an opportunity to engage in one of the focus groups, please be sure to be on the lookout for opportunities where we will get to meet and talk in small group settings. This will provide an opportunity for me to hear your thoughts, and for you to ask questions that you may have, relative to my experience and my vision for the district. I am extremely optimistic about our students’ future. We already have the necessary resources to reach excellence. I encourage you to join me on this magnificent journey as we move from great to even better. 

Sincerely,

Ken