New ONC BOCES Superintendent Nicholas Savin said Wednesday that he is looking forward to the next step in his education career.
Savin, 53, was recently appointed district superintendent of the Otsego-Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services, starting July 27. He has been Cherry Valley-Springfield superintendent since 2003.
At BOCES, Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES District Superintendent Geoffrey Davis has served in an interim capacity since former District Superintendent Marie Wiles left last year. She became superintendent at a Utica-area school district.
"In this particular case, there was a clear benefit in having a local candidate," said Davis in discussing the appointment on Wednesday.
"(Savin) is familiar with the challenges facing BOCES, familiar with the region and had the clear support of component superintendents," Davis said. "He will be able to address issues on his first day."
Savin received a three-year contract with a starting salary of $150,000, Davis said.
Savin said he became interested in the post during the required BOCES reorganization study after Wiles' departure.
He represented the 19 district superintendents during those discussions, and he decided he would like to continue working with them in a different capacity.
At CV-S, he said, he had the opportunity to work with BOCES and "have a good feel for the programs and people" at the organization.
"It is very student-centered," he said.
He said he has enjoyed working at CV-S, but is looking forward to a different set of issues, among those the "fiscal challenge" facing all schools.
If the state doesn't have its "fiscal house in order" when federal stimulus money runs out after next school year, he said, districts might face state-aid cuts similar to those first proposed this year.
Savin and the BOCES board of education will also look at long-range planning to see where the organization expects to be in five-to-seven years, he said.
"I want to make sure our efforts are consistent with those goals," he said.
There will be changes along the way, but "it's important to have a good sense of where we want to be," he said. "It focuses your efforts, and that is important for people in a leadership position."
CV-S Board of Education President Donald Drake said, "It's hard to see him go. But we wish him well."
Savin received a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in technology education, from the State University College at Oswego in 1979. He received a master's degree, with a major in administration and supervision, from Fairfield University in Connecticut in 1985.
His administrative experience before CV-S includes:
2001-02: Superintendent at Hadley-Luzerne Central School.
1994-2001: Assistant superintendent /principal at Stamford Central School
1992-94: Principal at Johnsburg Central School.
His teaching experience includes:
1992: Schroon Lake Central School, grades 7-12, technology.
1987-1992: Staples High School, drafting teacher.
