Herkimer superintendent finalists Kathleen Carney and Paul Kesler

The Herkimer Central School District Board of Education has selected two finalists in its search for the next superintendent of schools.

The finalists are Central Valley Central School District Director of Curriculum and Instruction Kathleen Carney and Batavia City School District High School Principal Paul Kesler.

“We’re very pleased with how the superintendent search has been going and want to thank all of the great candidates,” Herkimer Board of Education President Brian Crandall said. “We’re excited about the finalists we’ve selected and are confident we will end up with the right person to lead our district.”

Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES District Superintendent Sandra Sherwood, who is serving as the superintendent search consultant for Herkimer Central School District, conducted preliminary discussions with all 12 qualified candidates. Herkimer Central School District Board of Education members then conducted two rounds of interviews before selecting the finalists.

Carney has been the director of curriculum and instruction at Central Valley Central School District since 2018. Before joining Central Valley, she served for four years as the elementary principal at the E.R. Hughes Elementary School in the New Hartford Central School District and for 12 years as elementary principal at Herkimer Elementary School. Before becoming an administrator, Carney served for nine years as an elementary teacher at Herkimer Elementary School.

Carney’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in early childhood/childhood education from SUNY Oneonta, a Master of Arts degree in reading K-12 from SUNY Cortland and a certificate of advanced study in school district administration from SUNY Cortland – along with other professional certifications and credentials.

Kesler has been the high school principal at Batavia City School District since 2018. Prior to serving as high school principal, he served for 12 years as principal of the John Kennedy Elementary School in Batavia. Before becoming an administrator, Kesler served for five years as an elementary teacher at the Dr. Louis Cerulli School No. 34 in Rochester and three years as in instructional support specialist at the same Rochester school.

Kesler’s educational background includes an Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts from Mohawk Valley Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from SUNY Geneseo, a Master of Science in Education degree in reading from SUNY Brockport and a Master of Science in Education degree in educational administration from St. John Fisher College – along with other professional certifications and credentials.

Both finalists will participate in stakeholder interviews on April 20 – starting with coffee and doughnuts with students, and then meetings with administrators, teachers, support staff and parents.

In the late afternoon on April 20, a virtual community forum will be livestreamed featuring Sherwood asking the finalists questions that will be developed based on the second of two community surveys that have been completed thus far. The community forum with Kesler will be from 4:30-5:15 p.m., and the community forum with Carney will be from 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Immediately following the community forum, a third community survey will launch for that night only to allow school community members to share what they think are the strengths or concerns for each of the finalists.

“The school community input has been extremely valuable for board members throughout this process. Their input will continue during upcoming stakeholder meetings, as well as the final feedback survey, which will follow the livestreamed community forum,” Crandall said. “We want to thank the Herkimer school community for their interest and involvement, and we are looking forward to the community getting to know our finalists.”

Herkimer Central School District Board of Education members hope to offer the superintendent position to their chosen candidate by May 1 and appoint the new superintendent on May 18. The successful candidate would then be expected to assume the duties of Herkimer superintendent on or shortly after July 1, dependent upon the candidate’s current contract.

Updates and links to the online community surveys will be posted at www.herkimercsd.org and www.herkimer-boces.org.