The Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Board of Education has appointed OCM BOCES District Superintendent, Matthew L. Cook, Ed.D., to serve as a consultant during the district’s Superintendent search. The decision was approved during the board’s meeting on Monday, Dec. 9.
Jamesville-DeWitt is an OCM BOCES component district so some of the consultant services will be included in the district’s membership. Dr. Cook has helped a number of area school districts navigate this process and hire new leaders.
Superintendent Peter Smith announced his retirement plans in Oct. 2024. He will serve the district through the remainder of the 2024-25 school year.
OCM BOCES Job Listing
OCM BOCES has created a webpage for the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Superintendent search that includes the application and an informational brochure.
Superintendent Search Q&A
Q. Is the Board of Education conducting the superintendent search on its own?
A. The Jamesville-DeWitt Board of Education is working with OCM BOCES search consultants to conduct the search for the next superintendent of schools.
Q. What is a confidential superintendent search?
A. A confidential superintendent search means that all applicants for the position of superintendent of schools will apply directly to BOCES. BOCES and the Board of Education will work together to identify, from the entire applicant pool, who meets the criteria and those candidates who will be interviewed. The board will see ALL applications, but they will first be submitted to BOCES.
Q. Why is a confidential search necessary?
A. This process has greater success in attracting sitting superintendents and other education professionals who prefer their candidacy for the Jamesville-DeWitt position not be made public. Without confidentiality, there is a very limited candidate pool. Conducting a confidential search increases the likelihood that the most qualified candidates will apply for the position.
Q. Are there opportunities for public input?
A. Yes! OCM BOCES will seek stakeholder input in January 2025.
Q. What’s next?
A. Interested candidates will be invited to apply in December 2024. The search consultants and Board of Education will begin first round interviews in February 2025. Selected applicants will complete at least two rounds of interviews with the board.