The Peru Gazette

In July Dr. Patrick Brimstein will have been at the helm of Peru Central School for one year.  He was kind enough to meet with the Peru Gazette to discuss his start as Superintendent. Adele Douglas conducted the interview.

What are your impressions of the school?

“In general the kids here seem to be very polite and well grounded, the teaching staff is genuinely committed to doing good by the students and we have positive school teams that are starting to connect with one another in new and exciting ways.  I’m happy to see that parents want to be involved and we want to develop more opportunities for that, especially at the secondary school where parental involvement typically tends to drop off.  Parents are our partners in developing the best students we can.”

What are the school’s big challenges? 


“We just worked through a tough budget process.  The Board of Education made some very strategic reductions, managing to meet student needs while reducing the historic budget gap.  Our long-term plans have been altered with the aim of eliminating the gap in the next two years.   The retirement incentive that was developed worked out very well, and I thank the union reps for their help with that.  The last minute additional money from the State helped as well.  Assuming the budget passes, I think the future looks much brighter for Peru CSD.”

“When I first surveyed the organization I found four separate worlds (Primary, Intermediate, Middle and High School) with separate goals, testing regimens and cultures but with very little communication between them.   There wasn’t the capacity within the District structure to communicate the approaches or systems that were successful in one building to the rest of the organization.  To meet new challenges, we need shared, common, district-wide goals that everyone aligns to.”

After a recent reorganization of administrators there are now two schools, Elementary and Secondary, each with a principal and a vice principal.  Brimstein’s goal is to ensure that there’s good communication within and between schools, that there’s a logical approach to curriculum from K through 12 without redundancies or omissions.

Dr. Brimstein continued, “ We’re not going to solely focus on test results but they should be used to guide focused improvements.  Testing provides some perspective and transparency.  We have a structure now to better use the results to adjust what we do, to identify areas of weaknesses and put resources where needed.  If we don’t change how we deliver instruction then we’ll continue to underperform our neighbors.  We need to foster a more proactive and less reactive approach to helping all students learn.  If we develop a culture that encourages and supports learning and asking questions, if our students develop a passion for learning and have engaging experiences with project based learning the test results will improve.  We don’t want to teach to the test. We want to empower each student by teaching young people how to learn.”

Can you tell us about some of the other changes you’ve made?

“We completed the APPR (New York State’s Annual Professional Performance Review), implemented Positive School Environment Teams up and running, and got State testing organized and implemented.  I’m very thankful for the cooperation of everyone involved in that.”

“We’ve hired a new principal, Matthew Slattery, for the Elementary School.  He fits the new culture very well with his open, collaborative problem solving style. He’s a very resourceful young man and I’ve heard some very good things about him.”

“As part of the reorganization we have a new Director of Curriculum, Assessments and Professional Development, in Scott Storms, the former Intermediate Principal along with Irene Stephney, Director of Student Services.”

“We’ve also been developing a number of new partnerships.  School busses will now be fueled at the Town Garage.  Future improvements to walkability to and on the campus are due to a partnership with the Town, County and Sheriff’s Office.  The County’s Healthy Schools Program is helping with in-school healthy living events. We’re partnering with local town businesses and with other educational institutions.  Mike Morgan (professor from the Communication Disorders and Sciences Program at SUNY Plattsburgh) brings college students here to interact with our students. It helps Peru students by providing additional one on one attention and helps the college students gain experience and better understand their chosen field. Our two institutions working together caught the State’s attention because that’s exactly what they want to see replicated elsewhere.  In western New York, where there may be higher population density and more economic opportunity, things don’t connect as well as they do here.  This partnership is a great first step that’s been in place for two years now and we’re working to expand upon it.”

What are you thinking about as you move forward?

“A commitment to good schools is an investment in the future of a strong community.  Many grads will stay in our community.  So how do we make sure they become successful and active citizens? That’s what I take very seriously right now.  I want to explore more opportunities for project based, hands-on learning.  I want to explore the idea of a basic business class for all students. It would be a benefit for everyone and especially for those students who go on to become entrepreneurs. Financial literacy classes would include personal money management, understanding how credit works, and goal setting. ”

“We’re in the process of rethinking how to improve teacher/parent partnerships.  One change that’s been discussed is moving parent/teacher conferences to before the end of the 1^st and 3^rd quarter. That way there’s more time for parents to help improve quarter results.  Another is the improvement of the District’s webpage, which we’re working on.”

Dr. Brimstein believes that the school should be the heart of the community and an improved website is necessary to keep the lines of communication as open as possible.  He’s hoping to implement a new website platform this year based on the recommendation of the website development committee.

Teachers have had to handle a lot in the past year. In addition to their regular duties they’ve had the new performance reviews, more rigorous State testing in Grades 3-8, new computer systems, the reorganization and a new superintendent.  But according to Dr. Brimstein they’re handling things pretty well.  “It’s been stressful but they’re professional and we’re getting through it.  Part of my job at this time is to make sure we celebrate our successes so these changes don’t seem overwhelming.”

Dr. Brimstein concluded, “I’ve made a fundamental, pedagogical commitment to make sure we engage all students.  Every student can learn, maybe just not in the same way as his or her neighbor.  I’ll continue to create a more open, collaborative, and non-confrontational culture, one that celebrates learning across the district, and one that identifies and builds on strengths.  My strategy is to build capacity and always be thinking about what we do today and how it will affect the future.  My job is to position the district for long-term success and adaptability to meet future challenges.”