BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — Massena Central School District has a new superintendent after board of education members selected Canton Central Superintendent Ronald Burke.

Burke will replace Superintendent Pat Brady who is set to retire at the end of the school year.

Brady will continue to assist the district through the transition until Aug. 15, he previously said.

Burke will be appointed officially on June 15 when the board of education meets again.

Three final candidates were interviewed for the role, with all three visiting the district last week.

Erin Woods, Edwards-Knox superintendent and Spencerport Central School District Superintendent Kristin Swann were the other two finalists interviewed.

The interview process included tours of the district’s facilities, as well as meetings with Superintendent Brady and staff members, followed by interviews with other administrators, support staff and teachers.

The interviews finished up with dinner with the school board, officials said.

According to Board of Education President Paul Haggett, the board of education made their official selection May 24.

“We felt, after conducting our interviews, that Mr. Burke brought a great deal of administrative experience to the role and that his management style was something that would fit well with the district,” Haggett said.

Haggett also cited Burke’s experience working in progressively larger districts as a motivating factor for his selection.

“Having worked his way up to larger and larger districts certainly played a role. Massena is the largest district within BOCES, so that experience will benefit our district.”

Having overseen a large scale capital project, collective bargaining and numerous challenges over the last five years, Haggett said Burke is bringing a great deal of administrative experience to the district that will be crucial for future success.

“Mr. Brady is leaving the district in great shape, we are very happy with that. Though we are very sad to see him go, we feel that the transition will be a smooth one given Mr. Burke’s vast experience as an administrator,” Haggett said.

Haggett was also complimentary of consultant Alan Pole of Castallo and Silky, who was hired by the district to assist with the search.

Pole previously assisted the district with a building use survey, as well as the superintendent search that led to the hiring of Pat Brady in 2015.

“Alan was instrumental in the search process and kept us on point and moving forward. Our five stakeholder groups also played a big part in the process and offered great insight. That was a vital piece in the process. The feedback we received was just further confirmation that we made the right choice,” Hagett said.

Though Burke’s contract is not yet finalized, Haggett said he is very confident it will all be “ironed out” in the coming days prior to Burke’s official appointment on June 15.

“We will also have an interim superintendent contract for Mr. Brady as he assists in the transition through July,” Haggett said.

Brady had previously agreed to assist with the transition when he announced his retirement after 35 years in the educational field.

Burke brings administrative experience to the role, having served as superintendent of Canton Central School District since 2018.

Prior to becoming Superintendent at Edwards-Knox in 2016, Burke served as assistant superintendent for instruction at St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES.

Formerly, he was the elementary principal at Edwards-Knox Central School.

He also served as mathematics teacher and mathematics curriculum coordinator at Saranac Lake Central School; adjunct mathematics instructor at North Country Community College and mathematics teacher at Chazy Central Rural School.

Burke earned a bachelor of arts and master of science from SUNY Potsdam College, as well as a master of science in educational administration from the University of Scranton.

He holds a New York State teaching certification in mathematics, and New York State building leader and district leader certifications.