By JIM AUSTIN
Cooperstown Crier
High School Principal Gary
Kuch will complete his tenure at
Cooperstown Central School at
the end of the month and head
for his new position as Superintendent
of Schools at Worcester
Central School.
His duties will be assumed by
Amy Kukenberger, who will serve
as interim high school principal.
Kukenberger has taught in the
district for 15 years and is currently
a high school science
teacher and possesses a School
Building Leader Internship Certificate.
The criteria for the interim
principal are to facilitate as
smooth a transition as possible,
limit the amount of disruption for
students, staff, and parents, as
well as taking advantage of an
opportunity for cost savings, said
CCS Superintendent Mary Jo
McPhail.
The use of an interim princpal
will save the district slightly
more than $40,000 in reduced
wages and benefits, McPhail
said.
``Further benefits of this plan
are the familiarity of the individuals
with the students, staff, district,
and that it capitalizes on
the greatest degree of continuity,’’
she said.
The plan, McPhail said, will
allow time for the board of education
to study the school’s present
administrative structure in light
of current enrollment, staffing
patterns, programs, and overall
responsibilities.
McPhail said she expects the
board to make a decision about
the district’s administrative
structure in January and February.
That decision will be factored
into the budget for the 2009-2010
school year. Depending on the
board’s decision, a search for new
administrative staff could begin
sometime in the second semester
with an anticipated
start date
of July 1.
Kukenberger,
who grew up
in Milford and
graduated from
Milford Central
School, said
this week that
she has been
taking classes
at SUNY Albany
for the last
two years with the goal of obtaining
certification both as a school
building principal and a school
district business leader. She said
she will have all her credentials
in place by June.
She was originally interested
in the district business manager
position at CCS which will open
up when Jim Collison retires at
the end of the school year, but
there may be other options depending
on what the board of education
decides.
``It seems like a good opportunity
has presented itself,’’ she
said.
McPhail said Middle School
Principal Mike Cring’s and Elementary
Principal Teresa Gorman’s
positions will currently remain
unchanged.
Kukenberg’s classroom duties
will be split between Dr. Daphne
Monie and Julie Weeks.
Monie has been a substitute
teacher and will move to a parttime
position to handle Kukenberger’s
morning classes.
Weeks, currently a part-time
science teacher, will move to a
full-time position.
McPhail said Monie possesses
a Transitional B Certificate in biology
7-12 and is familiar with
the classes and students through
her substitute teaching.
