Superintendent Search

Below is a message from Dr. Matthew Cook, District Superintendent of OCM BOCES, who served as the search consultant for the Fayetteville-Manlius School District Board of Education.

I am incredibly excited to welcome Dr. Magda Parvey to the OCM BOCES region as the next Superintendent of Schools at Fayetteville-Manlius. It was an honor for me to be selected to help facilitate the search and I worked closely with the Board of Education the entire way through the process. As one might imagine, it was a deep candidate pool and after an exhaustive national search with several candidates from NY State as well as candidates from other states, the Board offered the position to Dr. Parvey, who gladly accepted.

One of the things that Dr. Parvey brings to us is experience in Massachusetts that is a few years ahead of where NY is right now with the implementation of the Portrait of a Graduate and the NY Inspires initiative connected to the upcoming changes in graduation measures. She will be helpful to the F-M community and the OCM BOCES region as we navigate this transformation together. I’m confident her insight will be a valuable asset to all of us.

Dr. Parvey has framed this move as her “coming home” to NYS, and I am eager to begin working with her, learning from her and helping the students of F-M and the OCM BOCES region become the best version of themselves.

Superintendent Search News

Jan. 23, 2026: New F-M superintendent reflects on appointment (Eagle Bulletin)

Jan. 12, 2026: Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education Appoints Dr. Magda Parvey as Next Superintendent of Schools

Jan. 8, 2026: Superintendent Announcement – Monday, January 12

Nov. 24, 2025: Board of education completes superintendent candidate interviews

Sept. 9, 2025: Board of education to begin superintendent candidate interviews this fall

April 23, 2025: Search is underway for new Superintendent of Schools; share your opinion in survey, open through May 9

January 15, 2025: Board of Education appoints consultant to help with search for new superintendent

September 17, 2024: A public statement by the Board of Education: Dr. Craig Tice announces upcoming retirement

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Frequently Asked Questions

When does Dr. Parvey officially begin, and how will the transition work?

Dr. Magda Parvey’s anticipated start date is Monday, March 2, 2026.

Dr. Craig Tice’s final day as district Superintendent will be Saturday, February 28, 2026. The Board has been working to ensure a smooth transition between superintendents, with continuity of leadership and district operations throughout this period.

Additional details about transition planning and opportunities for staff, families, and community members to meet with Dr. Parvey once she is officially in the district will be shared in the coming weeks. These will be opportunities for our community to ask questions and share perspectives with Dr. Parvey as she begins her work at F-M.

What is the Board’s role now that the search has concluded? 

Now that the superintendent search has concluded, the Board’s role is to support a smooth transition, provide governance oversight, and work in partnership with the new superintendent as she begins her leadership of the district. The Board remains focused on stability, transparency, and long-term success for students, staff, and the community. 

How did the Board evaluate candidates’ past leadership experiences?

The Board reviewed each candidate’s full professional record, including leadership experiences across different districts, governance environments, and challenging situations. Senior school leadership roles often involve complex systems that include Boards, unions, state requirements, and community expectations. 

As part of its due diligence, the Board also reviewed professional evaluations, references, and recommendations from individuals who have worked directly with the candidate in leadership roles. The Board focused on how candidates demonstrated leadership over time, including instructional leadership, fiscal stewardship, relationship-building, and professional growth, rather than isolated headlines or individual events.

How was community and staff feedback used in the decision?

Community and staff feedback, alongside interviews, references, and professional vetting, informed the criteria the Board used to evaluate each candidate. 

The Board recognizes the importance and value of input from all stakeholder groups and made a deliberate effort to provide multiple opportunities for meaningful engagement. These included a broad-reaching survey and a series of focus groups representing administration, instructional staff, non-instructional staff, students, parents, and community members.

The focus groups were facilitated by Dr. Matthew Cook, Superintendent of OCM BOCES, and several Board members were present to ensure feedback was heard directly. The input gathered through this process informed and guided our work at every stage.

Key themes, including enhanced communication, future-focused educational leadership, fiscal responsibility, and student-centered decision-making, remained central to our discussions with all candidates. In addition, the Board carefully considered each candidate’s ability to collaborate and partner effectively with our team, recognizing that strong relationships within and across our community are essential to long-term success.

Did the Board consider local candidates?

Yes. The Board considered candidates from a range of backgrounds, including those with experience in New York and those with ties to the region. The Board’s responsibility is to select the candidate it believes is best positioned to lead the district forward based on the leadership qualities identified through community input and the full search process.

How does the Board approach evaluating leadership experience from different districts?

School districts operate under different governance structures, contracts, and community dynamics. The Board evaluates leadership experience holistically, recognizing that superintendents lead within complex systems that vary widely from district to district.

The Board does not have the authority or firsthand knowledge to adjudicate events from another district. Instead, its responsibility is to conduct due diligence during the hiring process and make decisions based on a candidate’s overall leadership experience, professional record, and alignment with the district’s needs.

Was the decision influenced by labor negotiations or contract timing?

No. Superintendent searches are long-range leadership decisions focused on student outcomes, district stability, and future direction. Labor negotiations follow established protocols and timelines and are not factors in superintendent selection decisions.

How was the superintendent selected?

The Board of Education conducted a confidential search process guided by Dr. Matthew Cook, District Superintendent of OCM BOCES. The process included community input through surveys and focus groups, multiple rounds of interviews, and thorough candidate vetting.

A confidential search attracts experienced administrators who maintain strong relationships in their current districts while allowing the Board to conduct rigorous due diligence. Following this process, the Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education voted on Monday, January 12, to appoint Dr. Parvey.

What makes Dr. Parvey the right fit for Fayetteville-Manlius?

Dr. Parvey brings exactly what F-M needs at this moment: proven instructional leadership, curriculum transformation experience, fiscal stewardship, and a strong commitment to listening and partnership.

Her experience includes:

• Leading successful K-8 math and literacy reviews and adoptions that raised student achievement
• Fiscal leadership through a $168 million capital construction project, completed on time and on budget
• Implementing “Portrait of a Graduate” frameworks, aligning directly with New York’s new graduation requirements
• Building community engagement structures that give families and staff a meaningful voice
• Over 20 years in education, including 13 years in central office leadership

The Board conducted extensive due diligence and is confident that Dr. Parvey’s experience, values, and leadership approach are an excellent match for F-M.

Why an out-of-state candidate?

The Board’s priority was finding the strongest possible leader for F-M, regardless of geography. Dr. Parvey’s qualifications and fit for our district made her the clear choice.

Her experience implementing programs aligned with New York’s new graduation requirements positions F-M to be ahead of the curve as these changes take effect statewide.

Who will lead the district during the transition, and what happens between now and Dr. Parvey’s official start date?

Dr. Craig Tice, who has led F-M with distinction since 2015, will retire in late February. The Board is grateful for his decade of steady leadership and the strong foundation he has built. The Board will announce the interim superintendent plan in the coming days to ensure continuity during the transition.

Dr. Parvey will use this time to learn about F-M’s culture, programs, and priorities so she can begin with clarity and purpose.

What should staff and families expect in the coming weeks?

Dr. Parvey’s approach emphasizes listening first. Her early months will focus on building relationships, understanding F-M’s strengths and priorities, and engaging with students, staff, families, and community members.

What ways can a district conduct a superintendent search?

Self-Directed – The Board of Education is responsible for all aspects of planning, coordinating and executing the superintendent search. This can be a cost-saving but time-consuming process, and is typically utilized by boards that already have multiple internal, qualified candidates in mind.

Search Firm – Search firms are professional recruiters who have extensive experience conducting leadership search processes for school districts and universities. They provide full-service searches and recruitment. There are costs for these services, and the firm may not be as familiar with the local region and district-specific needs. The Board of Education interviewed various search firms as part of the process to determine the best search method for F-M.

District Superintendent/Search Consultant – District Superintendent of Onondaga, Cortland, Madison (OCM) BOCES, Dr. Matt Cook, acts as a consultant for individual school districts. The Board of Education interviewed Dr. Cook, and determined that working with him as a search consultant was the best search method for the District. Dr. Cook was appointed as the search consultant for the Fayetteville-Manlius CSD on January 13, 2025.

What is Dr. Cook’s role in the search?

The search consultant’s duty is to assist the Board in recruiting, screening and evaluating candidates for the Superintendent of Schools position. This includes helping to develop selection criteria, coordinating and facilitating meetings with stakeholder groups, developing materials describing the position, placing advertisements, screening applicants and assisting the Board throughout the interview process. In addition to this, he also serves as the single point of contact for the superintendent search.

What is the cost of a superintendent search conducted by a district superintendent?

There is no fee for the work completed by Dr. Cook during the superintendent search. However, there are ancillary expenses associated with the search such as advertising/marketing, recruiting, forum coordination by additional facilitators, data analysis, communications, media relations, publications, etc.

What is the role of a Board of Education in a superintendent search?

At the beginning of a superintendent search, the Board considers elements of the search, including search type (open or confidential), search scope (statewide or national), marketing (digital, print, media, etc.), salary range, interview and meeting dates, and a search timeline.

The Board participates in the process; drafting a guiding statement for the search, considering input from all stakeholders, selecting candidates, participating in candidate interviews, negotiating a contract and appointing the new superintendent of schools.

A superintendent search requires a nine to twelve-month commitment from the district’s Board of education. This includes approximately eight meetings, usually three or more hours each, often on consecutive days and consecutive weeks. Board confidentiality throughout the process is key to ensuring the integrity of the search and preventing candidates from removing themselves from consideration due to a breach of confidentiality.

Who is authorized to appoint a Superintendent?

The final decision of selecting and appointing a new superintendent of schools rests solely with the Board of Education. While community and stakeholder input are valued and relied upon throughout the search process, the Board of Education, consisting of members elected by their community, ultimately holds the sole authority to appoint a superintendent of schools and enter into an employment contract with the successful candidate.

How long does it take to conduct a superintendent search?

A typical search takes six to nine months, from when the district formally launches the search by sending out a brochure about the position to the appointment and announcement of a new Superintendent of Schools. This can vary depending on the number of applicants and any challenges the search encounters.

What are the major milestones in a successful superintendent search?

Gather feedback from stakeholders; analyze data to design the search; marketing and advertising for the position; review, screen, vet and background check candidates; conduct interviews, contract negotiations and appointment of the new superintendent of schools.

What are the types of superintendent searches?

The two most common types of superintendent searches are:

Open Search – During an open search, candidate names are disclosed to the public at some point during the search. Typically, this occurs when the Board has selected finalists. In this circumstance, resume evaluations and initial candidate evaluations are done by the Board. Once the Board has determined the final candidates, the finalists’ names are released to the public and stakeholders are given an opportunity to engage the finalists and provide their feedback. An open search may provide a greater sense of transparency for the school community, yet it may limit the number of candidates who apply or participate in the search due to the lack of confidentiality.

Confidential Search – During a confidential search, all candidate names remain confidential for the entire process, until a Board appointment. Confidential searches are typically used in an effort to attract experienced administrators who maintain positive collaborative relationships with their communities and Boards of Education. The nature of a confidential search allows candidates to participate in the process while mitigating the risk to their current circumstance, a consideration that inhibits some leaders from applying for other positions through open search processes. Currently, the superintendent search process in New York State is competitive. A confidential search may place a district in the position to attract a larger pool of highly qualified, experienced applicants, though this is not guaranteed.

The Board of Education has carefully considered both options and has decided to conduct a Confidential Search.

What can potentially go wrong during a superintendent search?

Some challenges the search may encounter can include a lack of viable candidates, candidates removing themselves from consideration and/or contract negotiations falling through. Any of these situations could cause the search to be unsuccessful.

What if there is no successful candidate?

If the Board of Education does not feel that they have a successful candidate, they can choose to terminate the search at any time and reopen it after a pause. The search consultant would help the district to secure an interim superintendent of schools during this time, if necessary.

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