Poll: Should Chappaqua Pick Outsiders for Greeley & Roaring Brook?

On Tuesday, the Chappaqua school board approved the superintendent's request for Horace Greeley High School Principal Andrew Selesnick to become an assistant superintendent, it became the second major principal switch this year, with a replacement search set to start in December.

Selesnick, who will serve out his current job until the switch next July, is not the only one to move from a principal's office to the administrative building. At the tail end of the previous school year, Eric Byrne was promoted from principal of Roaring Brook Elementary School to assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. He in turn took over that position from Lyn McKay, who was promoted to superintendent to fill a vacancy in that role.

In each of these cases, internal candidates were chosen for the top jobs. The preference for in-house promotions, in the cases of McKay and Selesnick, have who feel that going outside the district will turn up stronger leaders.

On the other hand it could be argued that internal candidates are good because they're already knowledgeable about the district and have the right experience in skills. For example, in her recommendation of Selesnick, McKay noted his experience in working on teacher evaluation procedure changes, which have to be implemented to comply with a state mandate. This new mandate was view as significant enough that it will become a major task for what will become an expanded human resources position for Selesnick.

With vacancies at both Greeley and Roaring Brook that still need to be filled, the district will be looking at both internal and external candidates, which brings this debate back to the forefront. According to McKay, it is hoped that replacements for the schools will be selected by late February or early March.

Do you think the district would be better served in hiring external candidates as the new principals? Or do you feel that the district already has a deep bench of internal talent? Let us know in our poll and in our comments section!