OXFORD ­– Oxford Academy Central School District welcomes a new superintendent as students get ready to go back to school next week. David S. Richards, Ph.D., reported to work on July 1 and has been preparing for his new role as chief administrator.
For the past five years, Richards, 57, has served the Deposit community as both the high school and middle school principal, as well as the director of secondary instruction, setting the curriculum and overseeing professional development. “It was a great experience, and I do miss the people,” he said in regard to his time in Deposit.
Richards has also taught in Sidney and served as a principal in Livingston Manor. On top of working as a teacher and administrator, he has served as an adjunct lecturer for SUNY Oneonta’s history department, where his wife, Julie Freemen, Ph.D., is currently a history professor. Richards recently received his doctorate in history from Binghamton University after publishing his dissertation on the belated effects of the New Deal upon the Sidney region during World War II. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degree from SUNY Oneonta and has attained a certificate of advanced study in administration.
Richards explained he plans to spend sometime discovering what’s been working well and what could be made better before he begins making any significant changes in Oxford. Nonetheless, parents should note there will be a few new changes in this upcoming school year. Due to new state mandates, teacher evaluations will now be directly linked to the performance of students on the Regents exams, putting pressure on them to ensure their students perform well, the superintendent said. In response, Oxford Academy will be compiling data to determine what students know and what they need to know. That data will be applied to curriculum reforms, Richards explained. A new Common Core curriculum, which has been adopted by the state, is also being introduced as part of a multistate effort to better prepare students for college by updating the current curriculum, further standardizing it and making it more relevant to the current world.
The second thing people may notice this year, and also state-mandated will pertain to anti-bullying efforts. In the weeks leading up to the new school year, teachers are being trained to better recognize the symptoms of bullying. Oxford Academy will also be using better record keeping to track bullying, said Richards. He went on to say that bullying at Oxford has not “been any worse than anywhere else,” yet he is going to “try and make Oxford a bully-free district.”
An Unadilla area resident, Richards said he chose Oxford because it “has always been a district where education is greatly valued with a history of strong support and involvement from the community.” The strength of the community’s support for the education of their children is one of the things Richards said he believes to be the legacy he’s inherited as the new superintendent.
Oxford’s Main Street bridge will be closed going into the new school year. With estimates for completion sometime this fall, students are going to have to be picked up earlier than normal, Richards said. Middle schoolers are going to have to be let out early, and unfortunately are going to have to sit on the bus longer than normal, he added.
Richards said he is most looking forward to the all of the school’s events and plans to attend each. In his personal time, he is an avid golfer and loves to travel with his wife. Recently he returned from a trip to Disney World with his two, nine-year-old twin grandchildren, who are going to school in Sidney.
So far, the staff have “been warm and welcoming,” Richards said, adding that he is looking forward to getting to know the teachers and students. “If anyone wants to stop by, they are more than welcome to,” he added.