Press release:
The Byron-Bergen Central School District’s Board of Education (BOE), has named three finalists for the district’s next Superintendent. They are Karri Schiavone, Stephen E. “Ned” Dale, and Mickey Edwards.
Debra List, president of the District’s BOE, said she is pleased with the high-quality candidate pool and is enthused about the potential the three finalists have to offer.
“Choosing the best superintendent for our district is the board’s main priority,” List said. “The field of candidates was diverse, which made narrowing the field to three very difficult. We are confident that one of these candidates will be the best candidate for our school district and community.”
Stakeholder groups and the BOE will conduct the final round of interviews with the three candidates beginning on April 11 at the Byron-Bergen Central School District. The anticipated start date for the new superintendent is July 1.
Kevin MacDonald, district superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, who is acting as search consultant, said the Board has developed and implemented a process that will help determine the best candidate.
“This is a rigorous search process,” MacDonald said. “Finalists will visit the Byron-Bergen Central School District to meet with staff and the BOE to go though another round of interviews. The process concludes with the Board meeting to make a final decision.”
About the finalists
Karri Schiavone is currently the principal of Holley Elementary School, a position she has held since 2012. From 2002 until 2012, she served as the director of instruction and special programs for Holley Central Schools (HCS). Prior to that, she served as elementary principal of the Warren P. Towne School in Medina. From 1995 until 1999, Schiavone served as an intermediate teacher and in many supervisory roles at HCS, including elementary Science coordinator and district Social Studies curriculum writer.
Schiavone began her career in education in 1994 as a teacher for the Bethel Head Start in Buffalo. Throughout her career she has served in many leadership capacities. She currently oversees a number of committees at HCS, including the district’s Technology; Safety and Health/Wellness committees as well as the APPR Committee. She has a broad scope of fiscal management at HCS, including developing and managing budgets and grants for a multitude of district programs and services. She holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Buffalo, and a master’s degree in Education from The College at Brockport.
Schiavone earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from The College at Brockport and also holds a New York State School Administrator Certificate.
Ned Dale is the principal of Cosgrove Middle School where he has served since 2007. Dale began at the Spencerport Central School (SCS) District in 2000 as a school counselor/teacher leader at Spencerport High School. He served as the coordinator of the counseling department and developed the Career Development and Occupational Studies curriculum for grades K-12. From 2004 until 2007 he served as assistant principal at Cosgrove Middle School where he facilitated the Instructional Support Team in accordance with the Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) model. In his role as assistant principal, Dale obtained and published a grant titled “Career Exploration: Preparing for the Future Today.” His list of endeavors is varied and includes many accomplishments. Under his leadership, Cosgrove Middle School earned top rankings for academics in Buffalo Business First Schools’ List for 2015.
As president of the Spencerport Administrators and Supervisors Association, Dale has collaboratively established an approved APPR for principals, which was approved by the New York State Education Department. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. John Fisher College, a master’s degree from the Warner Graduate School at the University of Rochester. He holds a certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from the College at Brockport and has also completed the New York State Superintendent Development Program at SUNY Oswego.
Mickey Edwards is the superintendent of Wyoming Central Schools, a position he has held since 2014. As superintendent, Edwards has led extensive curriculum work in English Language Arts and literacy with alignment to the Common Core. He implemented a comprehensive literacy program including Reading Recovery that resulted in an increase of students reading at grade level.
Edwards’ role at Wyoming Central Schools includes a broad scope of responsibilities including facilities management, fiscal and instructional leadership, and community and regional involvement. Edwards initiated two capital projects focused on camera/security upgrades and redesign of building entrances. He also developed transportation consolidations programs to provide additional fiscal stability. Previously, Edwards served as the coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction for Orleans/Niagara BOCES, a position he held since 2009.
Edwards began teaching in 1996 as an Art/Technology teacher for the Albion Central School District. He continued his career at Albion Central Schools serving as the elementary school dean of students, middle school assistant principal and high school principal. Edwards earned a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Roberts Wesleyan College, and a master’s degree, as well as a School District Administrator certificate, from The College at Brockport.
