COPES CORNERS – As the school year begins to wind down toward summer vacation, Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton is preparing to say goodbye to a longtime superintendent
After 14 years with G-MU, Superintendent Douglas Exley is looking forward to retirement.
Reflecting on his years with the district, Exley said it is “funny” to think back on that time and see how far the district has come and how much it has changed.
“Right after I started, we had to sell the properties following the school merger and be ready to open the new building in September,” he said. Exley said his first summer with the district was anything but calming, as he remembers the construction not being complete and the furniture still not arriving from the distributor just a week before school was scheduled to begin.
Exley said although he is ready to enjoy retirement, work on his Gilbertsville home and spend more time with his family, he will greatly miss his days spent at G-MU.
“I will miss being involved,” he said.
As Exley watches his last graduation this June, he said he feels he has served the district well and with the approval of the upcoming building project, he said, “I wanted to see it through, so the district would be protected for the long term.”
From now until August, Exley said his days will be filled with capital project design plans and implementation. When the district chooses a new superintendent, he will be on hand to pass the torch and the responsibility of running what Exley calls a “fantastic” district.
He said everyone, from the students to the union representatives to the staff and faculty within the building, has been wonderful over the years. “You may not always agree, but we often agree to disagree and work from there,” he said. “We are fortunate to have that.”
Exley said throughout his years with the district, he has had the privilege to work with a lot of great people, a wonderful and dedicated school board and he has been able to see many students flourish and grow.
As for the district’s achievements, Exley said he is pleased to say 80 percent or higher of the graduates earn a Regents diploma and 75 percent go onto a two- or four-year college.
Over the years, he said it has been his and the school board’s goal to provide students with everything they could to maximize their education without any large fluctuation in the tax levy. “On average, the tax levy stayed at approximately 3 percent or less,” he said. “We kept an eye on the cost without cutting programming over the years.”
Exley said leaving the district was a decision he felt was simply based on time. He explained he has had the privilege to teach in Norwich for 10 years and has had a hand in other districts locally in the administrative field for over 20.
The deadline for applications for the available position is March 14, Exley said, and the first round of interviews will begin in early May and are scheduled to conclude by the beginning of June. The new superintendent will transition into the position throughout the summer and officially begin in September.