NYS Superintendents Council commends Governor Cuomo for adding Jessica Cohen to Education Reform Commission

June 14, 2012 - The state Council of School Superintendents today commended Governor Andrew Cuomo for his addition of Jessica Cohen to the Education Reform Commission he established in April.

Dr. Cohen is retiring next month as District Superintendent of Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

Robert Reidy, Executive Director of the Superintendents Council, called her “a perfect choice.”

Reidy added, “Schools are going through a period of intense change now, with the implementation of new teacher and principal evaluation requirements, the transition to Common Core State Standards, and other Race to the Top initiatives. It is important for the Governor’s Commission to understand the effects of current state initiatives on schools as it considers new ones.”

Reidy went on, “Jessica is superbly qualified to give the other Commission members a sense of the demands educators and students are wrestling with right now.” He explained, “As a BOCES Superintendent, Jessica performs a dual role as chief executive of a regional school support agency, and as liaison between the Education Commissioner and Syracuse area school districts.” 

“Those two roles give her an exceptional grasp of both state policy and how it is affecting schools and students,” Reidy observed.

Click here to read the release from the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

Search Completed for New District Superintendent

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services is very pleased to announce that Mr. Jody F. Manning was appointed by the Board as the new District Superintendent of Schools at their June 6th meeting.

Mr. Manning currently serves as the Superintendent of Schools at the Solvay Union Free School District and has demonstrated extensive leadership experience throughout his career in education.  He has served as a business administrator and district clerk, a grade level administrator, assistant principal and teacher.  He has also had experience as a summer school principal, adult education instructor and chaired a Superintendent’s Issue & Analysis Team.

Mr. Manning is actively involved in his community, has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work and is a member of several professional educational organizations.  He has also participated in multiple professional development opportunities over the years.

The extensive search and selection process began in January and Mr. Manning was chosen by the Board as the final candidate from a pool of nine applicants.  He met with specific stakeholder groups, including component superintendents, BOCES administrators and both instructional and non-instructional staff.   Mr. Manning also met with the Commissioner of Education for the purpose of a final interview and assessment of his qualifications and experience.  That interview was completed and the Commissioner communicated his approval of Mr. Manning’s proposed appointment.

Mr. Manning will assume the position of District Superintendent on August 1, 2012.

Board President Ann Wright stated, “The OCM BOCES Board of Education enthusiastically welcomes Mr. Manning.  We are looking forward to working with him to continue to provide quality services for students, school districts and the CNY communities that OCM BOCES serves.”

Click here to read the article on Syracuse.com.