The Board of Education has started the search for the next Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District Superintendent of Schools.
“We want to stay aligned, focused, and thoughtful to make sure we make the best decision for the district, and most importantly for our students and taxpayers,” explained Board of Education President Sarah Fitzgerald.
In September, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Craig Tice announced that he will be retiring during the 2025-26 school year.
To kick off the process, the board issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) to superintendent search firms and received local, state and national candidates. After reviewing all responses, board members conducted a thorough interview process of finalists. During its Jan. 13 meeting, the board voted to appoint Dr. Matt Cook, District Superintendent of Onondaga, Cortland, Madison (OCM) BOCES to serve as a consultant to assist the board in its selection process of a new school superintendent. F-M is a component district of OCM BOCES, which offers a variety of educational programs and services, including consultation.
“We want to make sure the board is heard, the community is heard, and all the stakeholders are heard as we try to figure out who the best fit is for F-M,” said Dr. Cook.
Dr. Cook attended the Jan. 13 board meeting to discuss how a superintendent search is conducted, what to expect during the process, potential timelines and what his role will be. He will partner with the board to gather feedback from stakeholders, advertise to recruit candidates, conduct preliminary screening of candidates and facilitate and support the board’s decision making process.
As part of the superintendent search, students, staff, parents, and community members will have the opportunity to provide feedback. That information will be used to help direct the board during its search and interview efforts and help ensure the board’s decisions align with the priorities identified by the district’s many stakeholders. From start to finish, the search process generally takes about six months to complete.
We will continue to update the community regularly as an official timeline is established and the search process moves forward. The next regularly scheduled board meeting is Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Eagle Hill Middle School auditorium.