Claude “Tink” Wright, Hadley-Luzerne Central School District

 Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Thank you for an exceptional 2012 Conference and Expo! I commend Brian Bentley and the Association as a whole on the accomplishments of the past year. I cannot put into words how honored I feel to serve as your President. I look forward to a year of continued growth and success for our association and its members.

Although we face challenges and have work to do in the next year, I am confident that with the support of our colleagues, our district administrators, our Coalition partners and our esteemed business partners, our association will see many successes.

As an association and a profession we need to stand together over the next 12 months to support each other and carry our profession forward. We all need to be active, informed, engaged and visible to our districts, communities, and legislative representatives. We must stand united in our common goals and aspirations for our profession.

The school environment is changing constantly and we have to move with it. We have to be prepared for new challenges and ready to stand up for ourselves and our profession when those challenges turn into roadblocks to the success of our schools and the safety of the students.

Although we saw the passing of the Director of Facilities Law last year we all know that it doesn’t end our struggle. There is still a lot of work to do and it is essential that we maintain a strong presence in Albany and keep our legislators informed. Our annual Advocacy Day and Critical Issues Summit in March are important days to share our issues.

It is of great importance that we all take advantage of Chapter meetings, webinars, the Academy programs and our annual Conference. These are opportunities for continued education tailored to the current issues we deal with every day. Beyond that, these are opportunities to share experiences with our colleagues and share ideas.

This upcoming year is all about each of us coming together in support of each other and our profession. We each need to see that we must be a part of the changes we want to see. It is not the job of one person or a small group of people. We all have the responsibility to show our commitment to our profession by being active members of the organization.

I hope that you will join me as we move forward and continue the work that needs to be done. Our members are our greatest strength and assets!

Thank you for your confidence in me and I look forward to representing you!

In Partnership,

Claude “Tink” Wright

SBGA President

Hadley-Luzerne CSD