Community survey launched for Johnstown superintendent search

The Greater Johnstown School District Board of Education is seeking public input through an online survey to help inform the upcoming search for a new superintendent of schools.

The brief, anonymous survey seeks feedback regarding the characteristics and personal attributes desired of the next superintendent and what opportunities and challenges they will face. The survey, which will be open until June 1, can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GJSDsuperintendent 

All members of the school community, including residents, parents, students and staff are encouraged to take the survey.

At its meeting May 7, the Johnstown Board of Education selected HFM BOCES District Superintendent David Ziskin to serve as a consultant during the search process. Dr. Ziskin recently completed searches for new superintendents in the Fort Plain and Greater Amsterdam school districts.

As part of their statutory duties, BOCES district superintendents may be asked by component school boards to act as consultants during superintendent searches. Dr. Ziskin will work with the board to create recruitment material and assist with the development of selection criteria and a process for interviews. He will serve as the search consultant at no charge.

Following the community survey, BOCES will begin advertising the position in June with interviews expected over the summer. The Board of Education’s goal is to have the next superintendent start work in the fall.

The Johnstown Board of Education is seeking a new district leader to replace Dr. Patricia Kilburn, who left the district in the fall to assume the district superintendent’s position at Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES. Johnstown has been under the direction of Interim Superintendent Dr. Karen Geelan since September.

Geelan has announced that she will retire in the fall and will remain at Johnstown until a successor is found and in place.