Changing of the guard: New special services leader at GCSD

The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer

Teamwork: Steve Hadden, right, and Lisa Knowles jointly answer questions from the Guilderland School Board at a meeting last month. Knowles is the district’s new director of pupil personnel services. After 20 years, Hadden relinquished the top spot and is now the secondary administrator for special programs. “Not many people are able to have their predecessor guide them,” said Knowles.

GUILDERLAND — Lisa Knowles has the blood of an educator running in her veins.

This summer, the Guilderland School Board unanimously appointed her to head special services for the district. She’ll earn $118,000 annually.

She started work on July 21 and said this week, “I’m just getting to know the people in the district and the programs.”

Knowles grew up in Cadyville, far north in upstate New York, in a family of educators. Her mother worked as an elementary school teacher and her father was a school business official for more than 20 years.

Knowles was valedictorian of Saranac Central High School. She has great expectations not only for herself but also for the Guilderland students she’ll be overseeing.

“The stakes are higher now for students in general and for students with disabilities,” she said. “We have to have high expectations for them to achieve and be productive community members in college or with careers.”

Knowles went on, “Each of our students needs opportunities to achieve their dreams.” Although they may face varied challenges, she said, “They can achieve….We can do it by working together collaboratively,” Knowles said of meeting the new standards.

“Like Goldilocks”

Knowles describes herself as a “life-long learner.”

She earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, with a minor in business administration. She began her teaching career at Wee Care, an early childhood education center and soon became head teacher and then assistant director.

“I loved working with young children and seeing the development process unfold in front of me,” said Knowles.

She earned a master of science degree from the University of Albany in psychology and statistics, explaining, “Statistics are a large part of psychology.”

Although Knowles enjoyed being at a large research institution, she returned to her alma mater, with its supportive faculty and small classes, for a certificate of advanced study in school psychology. She also earned state certification in educational administration at Saint Rose.

Knowles got her first job as a school psychologist in 1998 at Saratoga Springs where she worked for six years, with one year off, during which she worked part-time as a school psychologist for Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland while she tended to her family.

She and her husband, Graham, a lecturer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, live in Colonie, where they are raising their daughter, who is now 13, and their son, who is 10.

Knowles went on to become the director of pupil personnel services in Greenville, a rural district with just 1,400 students. She was there for six years, overseeing programs for special-needs students from preschool through age 21.

When the post was cut for budget reasons, she moved to Shenendehowa, a large suburban district, where she oversaw special services for the elementary students for four years. Also a Suburban Council district, Shenendehowa is much larger than Guilderland, and the elementary program Knowles oversaw there is about the same size as Guilderland’s entire special-education program.

“It’s like Goldilocks,” Knowles said, noting Greenville is small, Shenendehowa is big, and Guilderland is “just right.”

Knowles, who is 41, said, “I’m hoping I’ll retire from Guilderland.”

“I’m glad to be back,” she said.

Transition

Kowles also said, “I’m very pleased Steve Hadden is still here, to help with the continuity, and the history. Not many people are able to have their predecessor guide them.”

Hadden, Guilderland’s special education administrator for 20 years, stepped down from the top post to become the secondary administrator for special programs, replacing Loretta Cozza who retired. Hadden’s new job involves overseeing special programs at both the high school and middle school.

He will be able to advise Knowles and “help with the transition,” Superintendent Marie Wiles said. “He knows the families; he knows the kids; he knows the programs,” she said.

Knowles is filling the same role Hadden had but has a new title — director of pupil personnel services.

Wiles described it as “a broader title,” better describing all the programs she oversees — this includes not only special-education services but also social work, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

“Steve was essentially doing the same job,” Wiles said, but, when the district posted the opening, it used the broader title to reach a wider pool of candidates, she said; there were 52 applicants.

The field was narrowed to five candidates for the first round of interviews, conducted by a large committee of stakeholders; three candidates were interviewed in the second round; and two were interviewed by the district’s administrative team in the third and final round, Wiles said.

“We had a good pool,” said Wiles, going on about Knowles: “She distinguished herself in a couple of ways...Her knowledge of special education is spot on.”

Knowles also has “a good knowledge of Guilderland,” Wiles said, having worked for the district as a school psychologist. Wiles noted her background as director of pupil personnel services in Greenville and most recently as the special-education administrator for elementary programs at Shenendehowa.

“She has a feel for working at a large suburban school,” said Wiles.

Finally, Wiles said, Knowles develops good relationships with faculty members and with committees on special education, which are responsible for mapping out individual programs for students with special needs.

Knowles is “on top of new rules, regulations, and requirements,” Wiles said, “and she has a really good understanding of the need to work with families...to help them access the educational program they deserve.”

More Guilderland News

  • “If the net cost is zero, why wouldn’t we purchase more?” asked school board member Rebecca Butterfield. “It comes down to being able to store them, charge them, and run them …,” responded Andrew Van Alstyne. “While free buses would be good … districts have seen them break down.” He said he hoped the technology will be more advanced before Guilderland turns over its fleet to electric.

  • While it was the town of Guilderland that was sued by Crossgates, it will be Guilderland schools that bear the brunt of the refund burden. 

  • Project applicant David Zhang was before the Guilderland Planning Board at its March 13 meeting with a proposal to reconfigure 1975 Western Ave.

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