Fifty-six new employees have joined the Poughkeepsie City School District in the important work of elevating student success since July 1.

The list includes 25 teachers, two teaching assistants, 26 various civil service roles and three administrators.

The district held its annual new employee orientation Tuesday, formally welcoming 30 of them to PCSD. Dr. Eric Jay Rosser opened the orientation by sharing his journey as an educator and how he became superintendent of the Poughkeepsie City School District, citing the many opportunities to champion the success of its students as an inspiration. He asked each of the participants to reflect on "when you were knee-high and looked to the educators that supported your growth as a young person," drawing a direct connection between our past needs as youngsters and the needs of children today, before introducing  State Sen. Rob Rolison as guest speaker. 

Rolison thanked the audience for their service and shared his own journey of community service, from his early days as a police officer to being elected as a county legislator, city mayor and his current role. The highlight of his speech was recognizing the importance of educators being of service to students each and every day. 

One of the annual highlights of the orientation, led by Natasha Brown, executive director of Community Schools, was a two-and-a-half-hour tour of the City of Poughkeepsie. The district has maintained the importance of its new employees by becoming familiar with the city and the neighborhoods in which the district children live.

"We hope that by exposing our staff to the communities that our children reside, we will strengthen educators' understanding of the communities that have a huge impact on students and schools,” Rosser shared. “By learning about the community and its culture, educators can use that understanding as a vital component in supporting student success."

The tour stopped at each of the district’s seven schools, where principals welcomed the new employees and shared their vision for the 2024-25 school year.

During lunch, employees met additional personnel, including Greg Mott, assistant superintendent of elementary education, Dr. Charles Gallo, assistant superintendent of secondary education, Ken Silver, assistant superintendent of business, and other district leadership.

The group separated into smaller groups for specialized training after lunch. Civil service employees participated in discussions about the district’s mission, goals, expectations and technology. Instructional employees also had a meeting about technology and met with Patrice Woods, supervisor of elementary education.