Published: August 31, 2008 10:48 pm      

LEW-PORT: Christopher Roser takes over as Superintendent Oct. 1.

Coming from a small farm district in Steuben County to the business-driven suburbs of Lewiston-Porter, Christopher Roser is taking a chance on his new job. And he’s taking it seriously.

Roser, 56, is leaving a superintendent post at the Avoca Central School District — where he has been well-liked and has had a successful four years — to take the reins of Lew-Port, a district that is as well-known for its high academic performance as much as its school board discord.

The stakes are high, he told the Gazette — if he fails, he’s out of a job and the problems in Lew-Port would only worsen. But he’s determined to succeed.

From creating a more cooperative and efficient school board to giving the students the tools they need to achieve, Roser answered several questions about what Lew-Port has in store when he starts Oct. 1.

QUESTION: You were really only in Lew-Port once during your June visit as a finalist. How will you transition into your new role?

ANSWER: I’ll be coming out to Lew-Port once a week between now and Oct. 1 and I’ll probably spend weekends out there as well. And it’s part of my entry plan. ... Basically, I would say the immediate thing at the beginning is to get familiar with the staff and people in community and introduce myself to all of them. ... The first real business is to really try to get some leadership for the board and the district and help establish some direction and some real goals and purpose for where we want to go.

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Q: What will be at the top of your list of priorities?

A: The top priority is to bring some direction to the board. It’s to try to bring all the parties together so we’re not seemingly going in opposite directions. I really think that’s the No. 1 goal. I think everyone would say we have to have a little more united front — not that we’re going to always agree, but the goal should be improving student achievement and academics. ... The second thing, because you hear this from everyone, is bringing in more technology — bringing technology into the district so it’s utilized properly. I know from teachers to board members to parents, they know they’re hurting for technology.

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Q: What kind of leader can people expect you to be?

A: (Laughs) I would say I’m very open. I think people realize that right away. I’m open to collaboration or to have community input, teacher input, staff input and really try to develop consensus. I’m comfortable doing that. I’m comfortable having people be part of the collaboration. At the same time, there are times you have to say, ‘This is the way it has to be.’ People know I can be a top-down manager as well. There are certain things you don’t tolerate or you say we have to do. ... I do a bit of everything. Part of it is I want things to happen quickly. I think once you see a problem — every year, another kid’s going to graduate or go to another grade level. If you have to wait four, five, six years, then the kids are going to miss out on that opportunity. I go through collaboration, but we’re going to move forward.

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Q: Why did Lew-Port appeal to you?

A: It’s a gorgeous area. You can’t go there and not love the community and the surrounding area. It’s one of the most beautiful places in New York state. Secondly, I had actually applied there four years ago. I kind of watched from afar — it’s an intriguing place to watch and I think I can make it better. I’ve been around long enough; I think I can help bring all the community together — if they want to be brought together.

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Q: How does Lew-Port compare to the Avoca district?

A: Lew-Port is totally the opposite of where I am, in almost every way. This is small rural school district. You’re more of a suburban-rural setting — it’s not metropolitan but you’re outside a metropolitan area. Out here, farming is still a primary occupation for most people. Up there, it’s going to businesses and industries. We’re a high-need school district as far as wealth and, of course, Lew-Port is just the opposite. What it does have similar is we’re a high achieving school in New York state, even though we’re very poor.

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Q: The school board in Lew-Port is notorious for infighting and some of the hard-line stances they take. Did that concern you coming in?

A: I told them I don’t mind hard-line stances, especially if they’re well-justified. I just don’t like — if you’re a board member, you’re representing the whole board. You’re going to lose a little bit of your individuality — you have to say, ‘Well, I’m going to set aside some of the things I’d like to see when I’m the minority.’ I just don’t think the board has worked very hard toward that, I’m assuming, or they need to be brought along. But I think part of it is some of them are very frustrated — they don’t think they’re being heard and they don’t think action is being taken on their concerns. My manner is I’m very straightforward. My integrity has never been questioned. I’m a don’t mess around type of guy. I’m a hard disciplinarian. I think that’s what they like about me and I think that’s why I got a 6-1 vote. And I want to win over that one person — I want to make sure if he has concerns, those are addressed. I know they’re a financially conservative board. Like I told them, you can’t get anymore conservative than farmers. ... To get them to go along with expenditures or things we want, I just give lots of information. I will go to great lengths — there will be no, ‘Where’s the money? Where are we going to go?’ If they keep asking questions, I’m going to keep giving them more information.