Office of the District Superintendent
Harold A. Coles, Psy. D., was named District Superintendent in August 2013. He joined SWBOCES in the summer of 2011 as Assistant Superintendent for Regional Services in the fall of 2011.
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.
Current Superintendent Searches
Responsibilities of the District Superintendent
The District Superintendent is the Chief Executive Officer of Southern Westchester BOCES and serves as the Education Commissioner’s representative in the region. He is also a liaison between local districts and the state Education Department.
Responsibilities of New York’s 37 District Superintendents are established by the legislature and the commissioner to provide cost efficiency for participating districts and decentralization for the Education Department.
Districts are not charged for the following services:
◊ Facilitating communications and cooperation among districts, the state Education Department, and other public and private agencies;
◊ Interpreting and clarifying Education Law, Commissioner’s regulations, and policies that affect education in the region;
◊ Serving as regional contact for state initiatives, such as the new state standards and assessments;
◊ Assisting in developing educational policy and working with legislators on behalf of public education;
◊ Reporting to the commissioner and working with state Education Department staff;
◊ Assisting with reorganization issues and studies in participating districts;
◊ Conducting superintendent searches for local districts;
◊ Investigating and ruling on boundary disputes between districts;
◊ Providing advice and counsel to local boards of education and in-service education for local superintendents; and
◊ Approving BOCES service contracts and cross contracts.
To participate in these services, call (914) 937-3820 or email hcoles@swboces.org.