The Madison Central School District Board of Education appointed Jason Mitchell as its next superintendent at a board meeting Nov. 19, 2019. The board selected Mitchell after a multi-step review of candidates and thoughtful deliberation.
Mitchell was recently appointed deputy superintendent in the Canastota Central School District, following five years there as the assistant superintendent for instruction. Prior to that, he was the middle/high school principal in the Poland Central School District. In both roles, he has worked as acting superintendent.
Mitchell began his career as a social studies teacher, working at New Hartford High School and at a middle school in Virginia, and has coached track, basketball and football. He has also worked as an English-as-a second language tutor at Donovan Middle School in Utica.
Mitchell completed the Educational Leadership Mohawk Valley program and subsequently served as a mentor. He is the treasurer of the Oneida County History Center Board of Trustees, a certified trainer in the OLWEUS bullying prevention program and served on the Mohawk Valley School Administrators Organization’s assessment committee and as a new principal mentor.
Mitchell received a 2013 Genesis Award for Excellence in Education, the New York State Council on Leadership and Student Activities’ Administrator of the Year Award in 2013 and a 2007 Accent on Excellence Award for Mohawk Valley leaders under 40.
Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Hamilton College, where he also completed a teacher education program; a master’s degree in social studies from SUNY Albany and a certificate of advanced study in educational leadership and administration from Utica College.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as Madison’s next superintendent of schools,” Mitchell said. “I am excited to work in a community so supportive of its school and its students. I graduated from, and have 11 years of administrative experience in, small rural schools. As a result, I have an appreciation for both the benefits and challenges of rural education. I look forward to building relationships of trust and collaboration with school and community stakeholders and working together to move our district forward. It will be our collective goal to make Madison a model of excellence for other districts, whether they are large or small, rural or urban. Go, Blue Devils!”
The board of education began its search for a new superintendent of schools in August and engaged with community stakeholder groups to determine expectations, needs and goals for the district, the search process and the new superintendent. After a careful and thoughtful screening process, the board felt Mitchell was the right fit for the district and will be an asset to the entire community.
“The board is so excited to announce Jason Mitchell as the next superintendent of the Madison Central School District,” Board of Education President Jennifer Lavoie said. “We believe Jason possesses the knowledge, experience, skills and shared vision needed to improve the educational opportunities for our students. We are pleased with the process and the outcome of the search and are very excited to see what the future holds for Madison Central School under Jason’s leadership. We would also like to thank all those who helped with and participated in this process.”
For more information, contact Jennifer Lavoie, Board President, at (315) 893-1878.