Shared Services

Christopher D'Ambrese
District Superintendent
(845) 627-4703

The BOCES Superintendent is the liaison between the local districts and the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Responsibilities include facilitating communication between NYSED and the districts, and assisting in the implementation of New York State education law and the regulations of the Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education, with a focus on helping districts comply with all aspects of Race to the Top initiatives.

The duties of the District Superintendent also include, but are not limited to, the following:

Upon request of a local component district Board of Education, the District Superintendent may act as a consultant in the selection of a Superintendent of Schools, including the recruitment, screening and evaluation of candidates.

In collaboration with NYSED, the BOCES Superintendent is also available to consult with local school districts on a variety of education issues such as:

• Facilitating communication between and among districts, local agencies and the State Education Department
• Providing leadership as a regional representative of the Commissioner
• Supporting the interpretation, clarification and implementation of new state regulations
• Assisting in understanding the requirements of management and planning of building projects
• Providing assistance to non-public schools
• Investigating boundary disputes between districts
• Approving BOCES service contracts and cross-contracts
• Assisting in the development of education policy in collaboration with area legislators on behalf of public education

Yasmin Helou-Caré, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
(845) 627-4729

A shared Human Resources Director/Manager is available to oversee the human resources function of participating districts and to supervise local support personnel in the operation of a human resources office. The human resources administrator can assist with recruiting, screening and hiring new staff; participate in collective bargaining negotiations with unions; administer collective bargaining agreements; monitor personnel policies; coordinate the district’s evaluation process. The administrator can also serve as the district’s Title IX officer; prepare the personnel portion of the Board of Education agenda; attend district board meetings; prepare job descriptions; prepare information for salary studies and statistical reports; coordinate activities with the local Civil Service Commission; organize employee training programs; and advise employees on benefits programs.

JoAnne Thompson
Director of School Transportation
(845) 627-4756

The Director of School Transportation is responsible for the administration and planning of the bus transportation system for each participating school district. The Director can plan, assign and review the work of others and prepare required State and Board reports in order to efficiently and effectively oversee participating school districts’ transportation systems.

BoardDocs is a cloud-based service that enables districts to upload, display, distribute and house board of education business documents. Meeting agendas, minutes, policies and any other supporting documents can be accessed and viewed online anytime, wherever there is an Internet connection. Districts are able to hold virtually paperless meetings with preparation time and effort greatly reduced. Information can be made public or kept confidential, accessible only to users with sufficient privileges. The service allows for archiving items and metasearch capabilities for anything stored by BoardDocs’ secure server. With BoardDocs Pro, board members can use an online voting feature, distribute confidential newsletters, and use other library features. BoardDocs LT is an economical solution for districts working to stay within a budget.