The Rye City School District is looking for a leader who is collaborative, a visionary, trustworthy, and deeply engaged with both the district and its broader community, as outlined in a newly-released profile identifying key qualities sought in its next superintendent.
The “leadership profile,” developed by search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, identified 13 desired characteristics for the district’s new superintendent, combining data gleaned from HYA’s conversations with community members through open forums, focus groups and interviews, and also gathered from an online survey.
Some of the characteristics include strong collaboration, clear communication, a focus on student well-being, high academic standards, and the ability to engage with the community and build trust-based relationships, as well as empathy, adaptability to change, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
“This is a great basis and a great jumping off point for people who are interested in coming to work for the Rye city schools,” Board of Education President Jane Anderson said. “I do think if you’re using these desired characteristics, it is a good summary of who we are and what we’re looking to do.”
The firm’s online survey had a total of 453 respondents, including 298 parents and guardians with students in the public schools, 66 students, and 44 faculty members.
Open for two weeks in January, it identified the top five desired qualities for the district’s next superintendent: The ability to recruit and retain effective staff, provide transparent communication, apply educational research and best practices, foster a positive and respectful climate, and establish a culture of high expectations for all.
These findings, combined with insights from two community forums held by HYA in mid-January, helped the search firm compile their final list of attributes.
“We have a document that will really be able to capture what it is that we need in the next leader for the Rye city schools,” Anderson said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to have a document like this that exists.”
HYA’s plans to present five to seven candidates to the Board of Education in late February and early March for interviews. And the selected candidate is expected to be announced in April or May to allow for a transition with current Superintendent Eric Byrne ahead of a July 1 start date.
The job posting remains active on the HYA website.
The Board of Education officially began its search for a new superintendent in December after finalizing a $26,800 contract with HYA. The hunt started in October when Byrne announced his retirement, effective June 2025.
“In general, there is so much pride and a well-deserved reputation in Rye, and importantly, especially for the Board of Education to know, many, many individuals shared with us that they appreciate the work of the Board of Education, whom they feel are highly effective and represent their perspectives,” said Susan Guiney, the other HYA consultant.