4District News

from the Daily Gazette Mohawk Valley edition, August 20, 2007

Hoffman ends first year as superintendent

by Edward Munger, Jr., Gazette Reporter

It was the Fourth of July 2006, and a few days into his new job, James D. Hoffman remembers helping a custodian at the Fonda-Fultonville School District move a photocopier into an adjacent room at the school.

The day before, he got a call from the state Emergency Management Office asking permission to use the school building as a disaster service center for dozens of residents affected by the worst flood to hit Montgomery County in decades.

It was supposed to be a holiday for him, but for Hoffman, now a year into his new position as superintendent at the rural school district, being part of the community is part of the job.

"Being visible, being out in the community, being accessible, that's what makes this job work. You have to be cognizant that you are a member of a community larger than just the school students," said Hoffman, 52, who served as director of secondary instruction/personnel and then assistant superintendent at the Greater Amsterdam School District between 2002 and 2006.

When he started his career in education, teaching social studies and English 30 years ago, Hoffman said being a superintendent was "the farthest thing from my mind."

"Now, I'm one of 'em. It goes awful fast. When you're 22, it's hard to imagine doing anything for 30 years," Hoffman said.

A New Jersey native, Hoffman ventured to upstate New York periodically serving as a consultant for Lee Canter & Associates. The company provides training for teachers, and Hoffman specialized in staff development.

Raising a family in urban New Jersey made him appreciate upstate New York, and he vowed that if an opening presented itself in New York, he'd take it.

"I always liked this area," he said.

Since Hoffman arrived, the Fonda-Fultonville Central School District more than doubled the number of college-level courses available to students.

The work with Fulton-Montgomery Community College gives students a major discount on the cost of upper-level classes taught by Fonda-Fultonville high school teachers.

There will be 15 courses available to Fonda-Fultonville high school students this year, compared to five last year.

The initiative is part of Hoffman's concentration on making sure students realize the importance of higher education.

Fulton-Montgomery Community College President Dustin Swanger said Hoffman stays current in his field.

"I think he's also extremely technologically savvy," Swanger said.

"I think he's just very open to new ideas and trying new things and very interested in making sure the kids are educated to the best of their abilities," Swanger said.

Fonda-Fultonville Board of Education member Matthew Calkins said he believes the decision to hire Hoffman last year was a good move.

"He's a dedicated Fonda-Fultonville superintendent," Calkins said.

"He's very well focused on the kids' education and their test scores," Calkins said, and the district's new universal Pre-K program will playa major role in the initial stage of education.

"The earlier you can do interventions on kids, the better they are," he said.

Hoffman wants the district to offer as many opportunities and programs as possible that allow his students to excel. Not all students can shine in academics so its important that they find other areas in which to show excellence, whether it's a drama production or sporting event.

Hoffman said he's the only one in his family who went to college. He said his father lived through the Depression and often said college would be the key to success.

While working as a projectionist and paying for college while living in a New Jersey town, he recalls friends pointing to the high salary they were earning by working at the local factory.

That factory is now closed, Hoffman said.

The former high school basketball coach and girls varsity softball coach enjoys watching professional football and college basketball, and attends as many Fonda-Fultonville sports events as he can schedule.

In some districts he's seen, Hoffman said parents of seniors sometimes complain their children aren't getting enough playing time in sports. Larger districts have a larger pool of athletes. But he sees the small size of Fonda-Fultonville, which has about 1,500 students, as a benefit to the athlete.

"Everybody gets to participate here. Here, we just want to have enough kids to have a squad out there," he said.

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