The Southern Westchester BOCES Board of Education will meet via videoconference on April 21, 2021. The meeting will be livestreamed at our Virtual Board Meeting page. A recording and transcript will be posted later at our Board Meetings Archive page. For meeting agendas, visit our Board Docs site.
We are happy to announce that the 2021-22 Southern Westchester BOCES Services Guide has been published. The Services Guide details the range of cooperative services available to component district schools in the coming school year. These services are developed in collaboration with our district partners and are designed with student needs and district goals and missions in mind. The Services Guide will be shipped to component district offices soon. As usual, a digitally accessible version is posted at SWBOCES.org under the Our Districts menu as well as attached to this announcement. We encourage you to peruse these pages and learn all about how SWBOCES works to support all our students and schools in ways that are effective and cost-efficient.
The District Superintendent of Southern Westchester BOCES serves both the New York State Education Department and the public school districts within this supervisory district. The District Superintendent is also the local and regional representative of the Commissioner of Education for the implementation of education law, the Commissioner's regulations and the policies of the New York State Board of Regents. The District Superintendent and Chief Operating Officer are frequently asked to represent the State Education Department on special assignments.
The SWBOCES management team, which consists of the District Superintendent, Chief Operating Officer/Deputy District Superintendent, and Assistant Superintendents, provides leadership in the fulfillment of the SWBOCES Strategic Plan.
Dr. Coles formerly served as Superintendent of Schools at the Greenburgh Abbott Union Free School District , a special act school district in Irvington, N.Y. He also served for five years as director of pupil personnel services at the Greenburgh Central 7 School District, and for five years as a school psychologist and coordinator at the Biondi Education Center adolescent day school at Leake and Watts Inc. in Yonkers. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at Lehman College.
As District Superintendent, Dr. Coles oversees the agency's work with component school districts, meets regularly with the region's superintendents, and serves as the New York State Education Commissioner's representative in the Southern Westchester region.
The district superintendent and chief operating officer at Southern Westchester BOCES head up an educational organization that employs roughly 1,000 teachers, administrators, and other professionals. SWBOCES provides more than 65 educational programs and services to students, teachers, administrators, and the general public in career and technical education, special education, adult education, and professional development for teachers.
It serves 32 component school districts in southern Westchester County and operates with a budget of $182 million.
Jackie’s role expanded in August of 2013 when she accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Regional Services. Working with more of the BOCES divisions and the SWBOCES Executive team, Jackie continued her commitment of building BOCES services that support districts in the challenges they face each day. Jackie has a deep commitment to collaboration and support.
Jackie continues to serve our districts through her new role as Deputy Superintendent, Chief Operating Officer. She believes that her extensive experience as a public school teacher, elementary principal, high school principal and assistant superintendent will help her understand the current challenges faced by educators. She is committed to using her experience and skills to serve children by supporting their teachers and leaders.
Jackie’s role as a wife, mother and grandmother adds to her commitment to our schools. She believes this is a critical time in American education and is honored to be able to be part of the work.
In this capacity, Mr. Tibbetts develops policies and procedures to ensure that the financial resources of Southern Westchester BOCES are secured, accounted for and used consistent with applicable laws, regulations and policies. He also provides leadership and direction to the the SWBOCES Business Office and the Department of Transportation.
Mr. Tibbetts joined SWBOCES in 2002, serving as Assistant Business Manager and Treasurer for three years before being named Director of Business. Before joining BOCES, he worked as a senior analyst at Viacom, Inc., and as supervising senior accountant at KPMG LLP., in Stamford, Conn.
Mr. Tibbetts earned a BS in accounting from Providence College and an MS in Educational Administration from SUNY New Paltz.
He previously served as the Director of Human Resources. Prior to joining Southern Westchester BOCES, Mr. Gratto served as the Superintendent of Webutuck Central School District and also served as a long-time principal and teacher at Saranac Central School District.
Mr. Gratto earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from SUNY Plattsburgh, a Master of Science degree in Education from Nazareth College of Rochester and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from SUNY Plattsburgh.
