Dear Parents/Faculty,

 

It is with mixed emotions that I inform you that Phyllis Conley, our Districts Director of Pupil Personnel Services, will be retiring at the end of the school year. Some of her many  accomplishments during her five years here, have been the development of one of  the Westchester areas most successful, inclusive special education programs. She has also been responsible for reviewing and creating a comprehensive Pupil Personnel plan and spearheading the district-wide anti-bullying initiative, as well as establishing the Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS) committees. Phyllis is an education innovator and we will miss her passion and dedication to our students and the Dobbs Ferry Schools, but wish her all the very best.

 

The process of finding a successor has already begun, and we want to solicit the input of both parents and faculty on the qualities and qualifications that you deem important in selecting the next Director of Pupil Personnel Services. There will be two opportunities, one for community members and one for faculty members, to meet with the Superintendent and discuss the criteria that will help determine the best candidate. Please mark these dates on your calendar:

 

 

The District has advertised for the position in local and national publications and we have already received a number of responses. Here are the basic qualifications listed for Director of Pupil Personnel Services:

 

Instructional leader with an inclusive philosophy, who has demonstrated the ability to create and maintain programs for students with disabilities in the general education environment K-12; balancing technical demands of the position with the more important need to service children and support parents and staff. Responsibilities include CPSE, CSE, Section 504, supervision of PPS staff, budget development, grant procurement and management. Must have demonstrated success in a similar position.

 

The District is also looking for two parents and two faculty members from each of the schools to participate on the interview committee. Interested parents should contact Meg Lauer or Rita Kennedy from the PTSA at presidents.dfptsa@gmail.com and faculty members should contact Marcia Heffler at hefflerm@dfsd.org.

 

The timeline for filling the position is:

 

I hope you will join me on either March 24th or 25th to talk further about what experience and traits you are looking for in our next Director of Pupil Personnel Services.

 

Sincerely,

 

Debra Kaplan