MANCHESTER, NH – Following an extensive search, the Special Committee on the Superintendent Search is forwarding two finalists, selected from a pool of 37, to the full Manchester Board of School Committee for consideration as the next Superintendent of Schools for the Manchester School District.
The search was conducted by California-based executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA). According to HYA, 37 candidates from 18 states, and one Canadian Province, completed applications for the position of Superintendent. HYA narrowed the field to six semi-finalist candidates who were forwarded to the Special Committee on the Superintendent Search for interview. The Search Committee interviewed all six candidates and narrowed the candidate field to the three finalists. One finalist withdrew from the process for personal reasons.
Finalist Dr. Bolgen Vargas, currently serves as a self-employed educational consultant. He is a life-long educator who has dedicated his career to helping students achieve and succeed to their fullest potential. In May 2011, Dr. Vargas was appointed as Interim Superintendent of the Rochester City School District, an urban district with more than 30,000 students and a budget more than $800 million and 6,000 employees. He successfully addressed a $76 million budget gap, brought a relentless focus on student achievement, drove the effective and efficient allocation of resources, and developed strong communication and collaboration with all stakeholders. Following a national search, he was appointed and served as Superintendent from July, 2012 to December, 2015, where he addressed the structural budget deficit and was able to shift resources to expand vital services to students and to reinvest in art, music, sports, extracurricular activities, special education, English language learners, and career and technical education.
His experience in education leadership includes eight years as a Commissioner on the Rochester Board of Education, including four as president. Dr. Vargas spent two decades as a school counselor in the Greece Central School District, a suburban district in Greece, New York. Dr. Vargas received his doctorate in Education Leadership and Organization from the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned distinction for his dissertation, “Educational Success in the Face of Adversity as Measured by High School Graduation.” He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies and a master’s degree in school counseling, both from the State University of New York at Brockport.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Vargas immigrated to the United States as a high school student who spoke only Spanish. He graduated from New York City’s Seward Park High School with the support of multiple adults – including parents, family, and teachers.
According to the Democrat & Chronicle, the newspaper of record for Rochester, NY, Vargas had contentious relationship with the school board, and resigned in Oct. of 2015, prior to the formal end of his contract. He also at one point filed suit against the board for breach of contract.
Finalist, Dr. Vincent Cotter, currently serves as President (and Co-Founder) of Exemplary Schools Organization and has worked as a consultant for the past five years, since retiring from his post as superintendent of schools for the Colonial School District in Plymouth Meeting, PA, in 2011. Dr. Cotter was the primary innovator of a unique program, “Reaching Above and Beyond,” which dramatically improved student achievement through a collaborative accountability system that merged the concepts of curriculum rigor, collaboration and inclusiveness in the goal development process. For his efforts, Dr. Cotter was awarded the prestigious international Juran Medal (2011) in the field of education for sustained systemic improvement. He was the first educator in the history of American Society for Quality to receive such a distinction.
Previously, Dr. Cotter, while serving with distinction as Principal of the largest suburban high school in the North Penn School District, Landsdale, PA, provided the framework for the school to capture numerous academic awards. Dr. Cotter has also served as a Middle School Principal, District Curriculum Supervisor, Assistant Principal, and Teacher in urban and suburban school districts during his 40 year career.
A graduate of Temple University’s doctoral program, Dr. Cotter was awarded a Legislative Recognition Award (2011), the National Public Relations Association Bob Grossman Award (2006) and was nominated as teacher of the year in Philadelphia as a special education teacher.
Dr. Cotter previously applied for the position of Manchester school superintendent, and was a finalist during the 2012 search.
Dr. Vargas and Dr. Cotter will tour the Manchester School District on September 23, 2016, and meet with the full Manchester Board of School Committee on Saturday, September 24, 2016.
Information gathered from Manchester Special Superintendent Search Committee, Montgomery Media and Democrat & Chronicle.
