SCHENECTADY — The Schenectady Board of Education is weighing an in-house succession plan to replace departing Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., who is set to take on the same post with Yonkers Public Schools in May.
Soler accepted a five-year contract with the Yonkers district on Tuesday. The Schenectady school board passed a resolution during its Wednesday’s meeting accepting Soler’s resignation effective April 30. Soler will begin his tenure with the Yonkers district on May 1.
Board of Education President Bernice Rivera noted during Wednesday’s meeting that the district would work with Soler on crafting a succession plan.
“The board is committed to developing a strong succession plan in collaboration with the superintendent as we work to move Schenectady forward,” Rivera said. “With our dedicated team and community, we’ll continue to move our district forward.”
On Thursday, Rivera said the board will consider Soler’s input on the superintendent search.
“We will use his expertise to ask questions and to kind of get his feel on some of the things that we’re thinking about if applicable,” Rivera said.
The board entered an executive session to discuss the potential employment of an unnamed superintendent candidate following Wednesday’s board meeting.
The board did not identify the district officials that could be candidates for the superintendent position under the succession plan.
On Thursday, Rivera said it was too early in the process to determine if external candidates could be considered for the job.
“Right now, we’re weighing our options, because yesterday [Wednesday] was the first time that all of us met together to start having these conversations,” she said. “So we’re still talking about next steps.”
Rivera said on Thursday that the timeline for the district to choose a candidate to replace Soler is still to be determined, as is the possibility of appointing an interim superintendent if Soler’s replacement is not selected in time for his April 30 departure.
“It’s still up in the air, but we’ve had careful deliberation and thoughtfulness in terms of having these conversations,” Rivera said. “So, I’m confident that our board will make a decision based on facts and objectivity.”
The Yonkers Board of Education voted 8-0 to confirm Soler’s appointment during a special meeting on Tuesday night, with Soler appearing at a press conference in Yonkers immediately following his appointment. Soler did not attend Wednesday’s Schenectady meeting, with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Carlos Cotto filling in for the absent superintendent.
Rivera said the school board could schedule one or more special meetings to discuss the superintendent search before the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 24.
The school board president praised Soler’s two-and-a-half year tenure with Schenectady during Wednesday’s meeting, saying that he and the board had put a strong team of administrators in place.
“We have a very strong foundation and a road map to make whatever happens a well-built road to follow and we have the people to make our vision come to fruition,” Rivera said. “We are resilient in Schenectady. We are very resilient.”