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By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — High school principal Dr. Lisa Patierne will retire at the end of October.

The district has established a committee to set priorities for hiring her replacement and expects to begin interviewing candidates in late August, District Superintendent Dr. Brian Bailey said at the board’s Aug. 3 meeting.

Patierne submitted a letter of resignation to the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Board of Education, which the board accepted at a special virtual meeting July 27.

Her resignation will be effective Oct. 28.

“I want to congratulate Dr. Patierne on her retirement and congratulate her for the great success we have had with her at RCS,” Board of Education President Edward Reville said. “Congratulations to her on her retirement.”

Bailey, who was principal of the high school from 2010 to 2013, said Patierne’s six years as principal was the longest term in many years at the school.

“I broke the record for the longest sitting high school principal in 2013 at three years,” Bailey said. “I was the longest seated principal since 1996 when Andy DeFeo retired. Andy DeFeo was principal of the high school for five years, so Lisa [Patierne] has shattered my record of three years — she is the longest seated principal since 1996.”

A hiring committee has been set up with stakeholders from across the district to come up with a list of priorities for what the district is seeking in a new high school principal. The goal is to interview candidates on Aug. 26 and hire someone soon after that to make sure the new principal will be in the building during Patierne’s final days with the district so she can show them the ropes.

“We do expect that Dr. Patierne and the new successful candidate will have some layover time where they will both be in the high school for at least a week, so we will have some good transition and preparation for the next five to 10 years of high school principal,” Bailey said.

Continuity in staff and leadership is an important factor in reaching the district’s goals, he added.

The hiring committee held its first meeting Aug. 4 in a virtual format to discuss priorities for the high school and what they are looking for in a new principal.

“The last time we hired a high school principal was six years ago,” Bailey said at the board’s Aug. 3 meeting. “Obviously, things have changed in our community and we want to make sure that we are looking for the right person, for the right reasons.”

Board of education member William McFerran asked if there would be overlap between the new principal and Patierne.

“If we stay on schedule and we have candidates that are viable and we do interviews on the 26th, that means they would be hired in the first board meeting in September and they would be able to give their 30 days [notice], which gives us ample time,” Bailey responded.