John W. Rickert
CAPSA President - Capital Area Principals & Administrators Association
ESSAA Vice President
1626 Balltown Road
Niskayuna, NY 12309
(518) 382-2511
In the CAPSA Region, our ESSAA leadership continues to serve the needs of our member school districts. We have been actively gathering feedback as to what the most pressing needs are at the state level. Our Region is well represented with the Commissioner of Education's Stakeholder group, along with our ESSAA team. We meet on a monthly basis, and we take an active role in shaping the agenda. If there are specific items that you would like to see advanced, please feel free to contact me.
With the current climate and increasing demands, it is more important than ever that your work as an educational leader is supported. The leadership team at ESSAA stands by your commitment as a school leader in public education. We believe in highlighting your work with your students and your respective school districts. Please send me any and all notes of good news so that we can promote it in our ESSAA publications, our Twitter Page and at our Regional meetings and statewide meetings. Educational leaders tend to be modest. However, we need to spread the good word to promote and support each other.
For those of you in districts with collective bargaining agreements that are set to expire, please remember to reach out to me and Mike Starvaggi. Please utilize our collective experiences in the framing of your proposals and in the assistance of your research. Mike is well-versed in the most recent settlements in the area and statewide. Make sure that you do your homework prior to sitting down with your district representatives. It is always better to come into the meetings with your data and rationale to defend your proposals. You deserve a settlement that reflects your work!
One area that we have really expanded our offerings is our Professional Development opportunities. Our ESSAA team has worked to bring in nationally-known experts and speakers. There are many offerings throughout the school and I encourage you to attend them.
We remain committed to our school leaders in providing the best representation services and support for your work as a School Administrator. If you have any questions or need any information, please call or email me directly.
Congratulations to CAPSA's Administrator of the Year!
Beverly Meagher - Principal - Principal of Germantown Elementary School - Germantown Central School District
- AND TO OUR PAST WINNERS -
2023 - Marie Culihan – Principal – Albany School of Humanities - Albany City School District
2022 - Tia Corniel – Principal – Pine Hills Elementary School - Albany City School District
2021 - Steve Boynton – Athletic Director - Schenectady City School District
2020 - No Ceremony due to COVID-19
2019 - Rosalind Gaines-Harrell – Principal, Arbor Hill Elementary School - Albany City School District
2018 - Joseph Mariano – Principal, Troy High School - Troy City School District
2017 - John W. Rickert – Principal, Niskayuna High School - Niskayuna Central School District
2016 - Diane Wilkinson – Principal, Schenectady High School - Schenectady City School District
2015 - Antonio Abitabile – Principal, Hudson High School - Hudson City School District
2014 - Dr. Shelley Baldwin-Nye – Principal, Glencliff Elementary School - Niskayuna Central School District
ESSAA - Empire State Supervisors & Administrators Association