Press release of September 1, 2011

BH-BL Superintendent Jim Schultz to Retire June 30, 2012

After 40 years with school district

BURNT HILLS: Thursday, September 1, was the last opening day district-wide staff meeting for Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake superintendent of schools Jim Schultz.

Speaking this morning to roughly 500 staff gathered in the high school auditorium, he announced that he will be retiring at the end of the current school year on June 30, 2012.

Schultz has served as BH-BL superintendent for seven years, but has been a district staff member for a total of 40 years. A high school English and Latin teacher for 18 years, he also served as English department head for 11 years, then as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for four years before becoming superintendent in 2004.

A local boy, Schultz, age 62, is also a BH-BL graduate and a member of the Class of 1967.

"As much as I love and will continue to love this district," he says, "it’s time to shift my focus to doing other things I love too.” For instance, Jim and his wife Susan are looking forward to having more time with their three married children and granddaughter. “Having been a Latin teacher for 29 years, I’m especially excited about planning a trip to Rome next year for the first time ever and showing Rome to my granddaughter,” he says.

In the letter announcing his retirement, Schultz thanked several groups. "I want to thank the community for the honor of working with your children. I want to thank the Board of Education for the privilege of working together on setting vision and direction for this district. I want to thank all staff for making possible my dream of working side by side with people dedicated to our students' safety, growth and fulfillment as learners."

Inclusive search process planned

“The Burnt Hills community has benefited tremendously from Jim’s leadership,” says Board of Education president James Maughan. “The school board is committed to continuing the many strengths Jim has cultivated in our schools. We are also committed to including opportunities over the next year for parents, residents and staff to be involved in the process of finding Jim’s replacement. That kind of inclusiveness is a long-standing Burnt Hills strength and tradition when hiring key administrators.”

Maughan says the board has asked Capital Region BOCES superintendent Chuck Dedrick to assist them in the hunt for a new superintendent over the coming year. The public is invited to a special meeting on Thursday, September 15, in the high school library from 7:30 – 9:00 pm when the school board will meet with Dedrick and start discussing the process for finding Schultz's replacement.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake has the unusual record of having had only five superintendents in the past 73 years. Francis Stevens was the district's first superintendent from 1938 to 1967, followed by Walter Reid from 1967 to 1969, Richard O'Rourke from 1969 to 1994, Bill Hostetter from 1994 to 2004, and Jim Schultz from 2004 to the present.

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