Richard Organisciak: Advocate, Juggler, ‘Closer’

New Rochelle's Superintendent of Schools Richard Organisciak faces the same question every day: Stop into the office or head out to a school first?

More often than not, Organisciak, who for the last five years has overseen a district of 11,000 pupils, 2,000 staff members and a dozen buildings, makes a quick stop at the office to see if there are any pressing emails or phone calls that will set the tone for the rest of the day.

"I prefer not go through email or answer calls during the body of the day," he said. "I want to leave that time open for school visits, attending meetings or having people come see me. But every day breaks into that amalgam of pulls and tugs."

With responsibilities not unlike those of a mayor and city manager, Organisciak once joked his job is best defined as "crisis management."

"There is still some of that," he said. "But we have so many qualified individuals in our district that even in a crisis, I'm confident that as long as I get to the right person for the right reason, we will get the job done. I'm very grateful at every level of our schools and office we have many go-to people. That is a compliment to our district."

The superintendent, who earns an annual salary of $263,000 according to the New York State Education Department, describes himself as a "closer" who gets satisfaction seeing opportunities and challenges through to their resolution.

Organisciak said his job could easily become a six-day-a-week series of school and community events.  

"You find yourself part of a school gathering, event, presentation or political activity, all addressing the needs of the school district. I am an advocate and face and voice of the school community," he said.

On his mind just before the first day of school in September was making sure the schools were clean and welcoming.

"Luckily, I don't have any issues like I did two years ago, when lightning struck the high school just before the start of the school year," he said.

According to Organisciak, the superintendent could be dealing with issues as varied as problems with afternoon traffic at William B. Ward school to concerns about using nonrecyclable foam cafeteria trays.

"Many of these issues come to me when I'm visiting a school and someone asks to have a word with me," he said."Those conversations keep me rooted and grounded."

While there are those in the administration who urge staff and parents to work their way up the chain of command before presenting problems to the superintendent, Organisciak said if he is able to help get something done quickly, he'd rather "hear about it and take care of it than have someone doing a dance to get attention."

It is not unusual, especially during the budgeting process, for the superintendent to put in 14-plus-hour days. But Organisciak said he is happier being engaged than standing on the sidelines.

"First and foremost, any time, attention or decision I make on any given day takes into account how it will affect the students," he said. "If there is a school bus accident—and sadly they do occur—that takes precedence and everything I do is about getting the correct information, getting that information to the right people."

Among the areas of school life Organisciak must consider are transportation, medical issues, nutrition and labor laws.

"The superintendent position for a district this large has evolved into a multiservice provider who takes care of items that 50 years ago people would be shocked the superintendent or school district is responsible for," he said.

On a daily basis, the little victories keep the Long Island resident motivated.

"I use my time driving home at night as my 'decompression check.' I run through my head what I got done and what I still need to do. By the time I get home, I'm satisfied I have most things accounted for. The resolution I can afford someone immediately [is gratifying]."

Organisciak considers one of his greatest achievements from last year to be the start of full-day kindergarten.

"That rightfully took a lot of investigation and exploring the 'what ifs,'  but when we finally saw the light of day and we knew it was becoming a reality, the satisfaction came from knowing people in the district and community felt good about it," said Organisciak, "I felt good about it because I knew how good it would be for the district and what I believed people wanted to see."

That vision and purpose has led Organisciak's role on the volunteer board of directors of the The New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence.

"While the fund is an independent foundation, it is important for [us] to work closely with the school district to be able to provide programs that will enhance the students' educational experiences," said Susan S. Weisman, the fund's executive director, "Superintendent Organisciak and the entire district are partners with the fund in wanting to give our students—from pre-K to 12th grade—the most educationally enriching opportunities possible."

New Rochelle residents, Organisciak said, believe in the value of education.

"I appreciate the community's respect for education, educators and support personnel," he said. "That, I do admire."