The Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Board of Education is pleased to announce the appointment of John O'Connor, superintendent of the Forestville Central School District, to the position of assistant superintendent for management services.
The assistant superintendent plays a vital role within the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES supervisory district and assists all 27 component school districts in areas such as school operations, distance learning, library/media resources, technology integration and support, labor relations, teacher certification, business operations, cooperative bidding, and safety/risk management. In this way, O'Connor's experience as a school superintendent will be of tremendous value to all schools in Chautauqua and southern Erie County.
"I look forward to working in collaboration with the BOCES staff and the 27 component school districts. I am also excited to become part of an organization that has a strong history of meeting the varied needs of our students," O'Connor said.
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O’Connor
Serving as superintendent of the Forestville Central School District for nine years, O'Connor has been responsible for the education of nearly 600 students and a staff of nearly 120. During this time, he paved the way for greater academic success through staff development and long-range instructional strategies, and he provided students with more academic opportunities through Distance Learning and Advanced Placement courses.
While managing a budget of approximately $12 million, O'Connor kept costs down without sacrificing services by working closely with the community during the budget process, aggressively pursuing operational efficiencies, and securing grants. O'Connor also oversaw the completion of an $11.7 million building project and a $600,000 energy performance project.
O'Connor will join the BOCES administrative team of Dr. David O'Rourke, district superintendent, and Suzette Benson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
"The Board of Education is pleased to welcome John to our BOCES family. John, together with Dr. O'Rourke and Mrs. Benson, will make a superb administrative team going forward," said Ronald Catalano, Board of Education president.
O'Connor's career began as a self-contained special education teacher and high school department chair at the Stanley G. Falk School. Because of his success in the classroom and strong leadership skills, he was soon promoted to the position of special education K-8 principal. O'Connor later went on to serve as the elementary school principal and director of special education at Forestville Central School District before his appointment as superintendent of schools in 2004.
O'Connor is nearing the end of his doctoral studies at D'Youville College.
The assistant superintendent for management services is one of two assistant superintendent positions within Erie 2 BOCES, which provides more than 200 cooperative services to its 27 component school districts to enhance academic performance and achieve operational efficiencies. O'Connor will oversee the divisions of School Support Services, Technology Services, Labor Relations, Business & Fi-nance, and Human Resour-ces, as well as the Central Business Office, Operations & Maintenance, and more.
O'Connor was unanimously appointed by the BOCES Board of Education on Aug. 22. He will begin his work at BOCES on Oct. 8.
