The Stamford Central School superintendent position has been offered to Tonda Dunbar, secondary school principal at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School, a Stamford school official said Friday.
The decision came Thursday after meeting with the three finalists, said Stamford Central School Board of Education President Shirley Popp.
"We just thought she was the best fit for our school," having worked in a similar district, she said.
Others interviewed were Delhi Middle School Principal Richard Hughes and Oneonta Middle School Principal Kevin Johnson.
The salary range is $105,000 to $120,000, officials previously said.
If contract negotiations are successful, the appointment could become official at a special June 29 board of education meeting, and Dunbar would start in August, Popp said.
Ron Whipple has been serving on an interim basis. He replaced former Stamford Superintendent Gregory Sanik, who resigned unexpectedly in May while serving as an interim after his replacement, Scott Hartman, resigned in March.
"I think she will bring stability to our school," Popp said.
"I'm very excited," Dunbar, 45, said about her selection. "Stamford sounds like the right place for me to be."
The Walton resident said she was looking forward to getting settled into her new role before school starts and plans on moving into the community with her husband, Don, a retired dairy farmer, in about a year.
She is a mother of six and has six grandchildren, she said.
Dunbar said she was looking forward to getting to know the people of the district and listening to their vision of the future.
The school has an "outstanding reputation," and she was looking forward to working with students, staff and community to keep the district moving forward, she said.
Dunbar has been at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton since 2005, said Popp.
Previous positions include:
ä 2002-2005 _ Coordinator of staff and curriculum development at DCMO BOCES
ä 2000-2002 _ Academic intervention services elementary math teacher at Walton Central School
ä 1993-2000 _ Teacher at Bainbridge-Guilford Central School.
Academic degrees include:
ä 1993 _ Bachelor of Science from SUNY Oneonta
ä 1997 _ Master of Science from SUNY Oneonta
ä 2003 _ Certification of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of New England
