After more than 12 years of service in the Schuylerville Central School District, Dr. Ryan Sherman has announced his decision to depart from the superintendency in the fall of 2022. Dr. Sherman has accepted a position as an executive director for a non-profit corporation.
Dr. Sherman has spent 25 years working in education, with more than half of his career in Schuylerville. Prior to coming to Schuylerville in 2009, he served as the superintendent of schools for the Argyle Central School District, as well as the district’s Junior-Senior High School principal. He began his career as a teacher in the City School District of Albany, teaching grades 7 & 8 Social Studies.
Under Dr. Sherman’s leadership, the Schuylerville Central School District has been consistently ranked as an academically high-performing school, with one of the highest graduation rates in the northeast region of New York State year after year. One of his first focuses was on the realignment of school buildings, from a grades K-6/7-12 model, to the creation of a grades 6-8 middle school model. From its inception, the middle school model has helped foster social, emotional, and academic growth. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Sherman placed a large focus on the expansion of AP and college-level courses for high school students, as well as distance learning lab opportunities, allowing students access to numerous elective courses and teachers the opportunity to instruct those courses for other districts.
Dr. Sherman has led the district in various school improvement initiatives, including three capital projects. The most recent, completed in 2021, included renovations to all three school buildings, as well as an addition to the middle and high schools. In 2015, a turf field was added to Black Horse Stadium, which is used not only by the district’s athletic programs, but also by physical education classes, the community, and for the annual commencement ceremony. Dr. Sherman also helped to develop fiscally-sound budgets that adhered to the NYS tax cap, but also ensured the district continued to provide excellent educational experiences for all students.
“The Board of Education is grateful for Dr. Sherman’s 12 years of service to the district and the Schuylerville community,” said Board of Education President, Michael Bodnar. “His ability to identify and hire talented teachers, staff and administrators has made an impact on the district’s ranking as an academically high-performing school. We thank Dr. Sherman for his contributions to the district and wish him the best in his future endeavors. The Board of Education is confident that we will identify a replacement who will build upon the district’s track record of success.”
During his tenure as superintendent, Dr. Sherman’s three children attended Schuylerville schools, one of whom graduated in 2019, and another who is a class of 2022 senior. His third child is currently a sophomore.
“It has been an absolute privilege to serve as the Schuylerville Central School District’s superintendent while watching my children be a part of this outstanding school system,” said Dr. Sherman. “I am very thankful for the constant support from our Board of Education, faculty, staff, administrators and community. Spending more than 12 years of my career in a school district that places such a high value on public education has been an honor. Starting a new chapter will be a very bittersweet time for me. Being able to serve as Schuylerville’s superintendent and being part of this community is an opportunity that I will always be grateful for. For the remainder of my tenure at Schuylerville, I remain committed to working with the faculty, staff, students and Board of Education to continue to provide the high-quality education that defines our school district.”
The Board of Education is currently developing the process and timeline for Dr. Sherman’s replacement. The school community can expect consistent communication about next steps in order to ensure a smooth transition of leadership next fall.