Superintendent White to retire June 30; finalist selected in successor search

Below is a message from St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, which the Hermon-DeKalb Board of Education elected to work with to select a new district leader:

The Hermon-DeKalb Central School Board of Education has selected the district’s principal as its final candidate for the position of Superintendent of Schools.

Recently, current Superintendent of Schools, Mark White, announced that he will retire effective June 30, 2024.

“It’s is no secret that Hermon-DeKalb Central School is truly a special place,” White said “I consider myself lucky to have formed such close bonds with our school community. I am truly honored to have had the privilege to lead this school district.”

Earlier this month, the board conducted preliminary interviews with three candidates, and then selected two finalists for community and stakeholder group interviews. Following the interviews, one finalist withdrew from consideration.

Ms. Foster, who has served at the district’s K-12 principal since July 2015, will present to community and stakeholder groups on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

SLL BOCES District Superintendent Thomas Burns assisted the Hermon-DeKalb board during the superintendent search process. As part of their statutory duties, BOCES district superintendents often serve as consultants during superintendent searches for school districts.

Before serving as the Hermon-DeKalb principal, Ms. Foster worked as a Reading Specialist and Pre-K teacher at Colton-Pierrepont Central School, after which she served as the Director of Migrant Education for the Research Foundation and as an adjunct professor for the Literacy Department at SUNY Potsdam. Ms. Foster received a masters and a Bachelors of Science in Education from SUNY Plattsburgh and earned her Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership from St. Lawrence University.