Dobbs Ferry School District Board of Education
Announces Next Superintendent

The Dobbs Ferry School District Board of Education is pleased to announce the upcoming appointment of Mr. Kenneth Slentz as our next Superintendent of Schools. He will succeed Dr. Lisa Brady, who is retiring at the end of this school year after 11 distinguished years of service in Dobbs Ferry. The Board expects to formally appoint Mr. Slentz at its meeting on May 10th.

The Board selected Mr. Slentz after a comprehensive search process that produced a large and diverse group of candidates. The Board was supported by the search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.

The superintendent search process included a community-wide survey to which over 580 people responded, and interviews and community forums with over 130 community members participating. The feedback was then synthesized and compiled into a “leadership profile report” that was used to create interview questions and to guide the entire process. 

Board President Tracy Baron said, “Every step of this process was guided by the leadership profile that was created from the community forums, the focus groups and the survey. We believe Ken will be a great fit for Dobbs Ferry.”

Our school community made clear to us that our next educational leader needed to have a track record of experience and success in unifying diverse stakeholders around a vision and strategic plan, the ability to communicate effectively with all members of the school community, and the creativity to reimagine what success for all students might look like in our schools of the future. “Throughout our interviews, Ken continually impressed the Board with his energy, thoughtfulness, and past success in bringing communities together,” Board Vice President Shannon Stringer said.

Mr. Slentz began his career in education as a middle school teacher in Long Lake, NY, where he rose to the combined position of Principal and Superintendent over eight years. Mr. Slentz continued his administrative career as the Superintendent of West Canada Valley CSD. In 2010 he joined the NY State Education Department as Associate Commissioner of Curriculum, Instruction and Field Services, and in 2011 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of P-12 Education. In 2014 he accepted a position as Superintendent of the Skaneateles Central School District, where he served until 2018. Since 2018 he has been Superintendent at the Ballston Spa CSD, a district with over 4,000 students and a 28-member administrative team.

Mr. Slentz is a graduate of the SUNY system, from an AAS in Liberal Arts from Cobleskill, through his BA in Political Science from Geneseo, followed by a Masters in Education from Oswego.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the Board for having the confidence in me to become the next Superintendent for the District. Our shared beliefs and values, which are encompassed within the District’s strategic plan and in the various profiles that were completed by stakeholder groups, will allow us to continue the great work that the Board, Dr. Brady, and the community have initiated over the past several years. I am genuinely excited to get started on our work together on behalf of each Dobbs Ferry student,” said Mr. Slentz.

We would like to thank our teachers, administrators, staff, students and parents for their critical feedback and support throughout this process. The Board will share plans to introduce Mr. Slentz to the Dobbs Ferry community in the coming months, including multiple opportunities for everyone to meet the next leader of the Dobbs Ferry School District.