New Preston superintendent getting to know his district
Preston — New Superintendent Roy Seitsinger spent part of Wednesday driving around town to learn the rural road network before returning to his office at Preston Veterans Memorial School to continue his introductory study of the school district.
Seitsinger, 62, was hired May 1 by the Board of Education. He succeeds John Welch, who retired and then was hired as the part-time Bozrah school superintendent. Seitsinger, the former Westerly superintendent, started Monday, the same day his wife, Louise Seitsinger, started her new position as assistant superintendent in the North Providence school district.
“I'm trying to meet with as many people as I possibly can,” Seitsinger said Wednesday. “Listen to as many people as I possibly can and hear what their priorities are.”
Thus far, Seitsinger has met with Preston Veterans Memorial School Principal Raymond Bernier and Preston Plains Middle School Principal Ivy Davis-Tomczuk, district central office staff, food services staff and school bus transportation staff.
On Tuesday, he attended his first contract negotiations session for school bus drivers. Preston is one of the few local school districts in the state that still runs its own bus system. The issue became controversial last year, when the Board of Education considered and then rejected a plan to contract out school bus service. Seitsinger said Westerly also runs and owns its school buses, so he is familiar with that arrangement.
Seitsinger will visit all school facilities and already has met some of the 40 students enrolled in the summer school program. When preschool and kindergarten students arrive for orientation before school starts Aug. 30, Seitsinger plans to join them for what will be the first school bus ride for many of them.
He is a strong supporter of the full-day preschool program implemented in Preston in January 2015 after a budget controversy. The issue still raises objections at budget time.
“Preschool, especially in this day and age, is critical,” Seitsinger said. “There are so many challenges to many families these days. It gives a steady foundation for 3- and 4-year-olds for many families.”
To get to know the outside community, Seitsinger plans to attend an upcoming Board of Selectmen meeting and hopes to arrange meetings with leaders of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes and with liaisons for military families in town. He also plans to visit Norwich Free Academy and other high schools where Preston students attend.
All of the summer research, including reviewing the district's $11.6 million school budget, contracts and other relevant documents, will become part of Seitsinger's “entry plan” he will present to the Board of Education at its Aug. 14 meeting. The plan will include some priorities that could be addressed in the coming months.
Seitsinger, 62, retired from his Westerly position after seven years there. He also teaches organizational theory in the doctoral program at Johnson & Wales University. He looked for a downsized position from the 3,000-student Westerly district and was attracted to the 400-student Preston post. He and his wife drove through and liked the feel of the quiet farm town.
And as Preston officials conducted their final interview with Seitsinger on May 1 to solidify the selection, the board did something that solidified his commitment to the Preston position.
“In that final meeting, they did something uncommon and elegant,” Seitsinger said. “They invited Louise to be part of the interview process, to learn who we are as a team and get to know us.”
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