Norwich City Schools Superintendent Scott Ryan, Director of Teaching Jessica Poyer and Business Director Brian Bartlett. (Submitted photo)

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new Leadership Team at NCSD. It’s been a little over two months since I've been honored to bear the distinction as Superintendent of Norwich City Schools.

My name is Scott Ryan, longtime resident of Norwich and alum of NCSD.  This has always been my home and the place my wife Lisa and I have chosen to raise our four children.

Despite the challenges of pandemic planning and response coupled with the uncertainty associated with NYS school funding, I can’t think of a better time to LEAD in education.

We must rethink, reimagine and reinvent how we prepare our learners for the future; a future that is more unknown today than ever before. College, career or military preparedness seems foreign when we consider that we are currently educating the Class of 2034. The next few months will be focused on developing a collective Mission and Vision for the district, one that represents what we, the community of Norwich, want for our learners. I have challenged our staff with rethinking who we are, what we value and how our behaviors must reflect our collective Mission and Vision.

I am excited for what lies ahead and even more excited when I think about the team supporting this work at NCSD. Allow me to introduce our Director of Teaching and Learning as well as our Director of Business Services.  Together, we can and we will, do whatever it takes to support the efforts of our staff at NMS. One district, One Direction, Go Purple!

My name is Jessica Poyer and I am new to Norwich as the Director of Teaching, Learning and Personnel. I have spent my first month at NCSD getting to know faculty and staff, learning routines and visiting buildings. I am semi-local, having grown up in nearby Waterville. Prior to joining the Norwich leadership team, I focused on supporting and empowering teachers in curriculum, instruction and assessment at Oneida. As a longtime teacher, I am committed to providing strong professional development to teachers that empowers them to teach in innovative ways.

I strongly believe that our students’ instructional experiences should translate into strong preparedness for work, for school and for living a productive life. Part of that includes partnering with the community in many ways, including mentorship programs, shadowing and internship opportunities and collaborations between teachers and local employers. Before becoming a teacher, I worked at local television stations in Syracuse, Utica and Rochester as a news reporter, anchor and producer.

My love of writing began in high school when I wrote a weekly column for my local newspaper, The Waterville Times, entitled Campus Chinwag. Currently, I reside in Deansboro with my family. I am familiar to Norwich, having attended the Blues Festival, golfed at Canasawacta, spectated at the Gus Macker tournament and skied at Whaupaunaucau state forest. I understand the importance and function of a local newspaper and how it brings the community together. If you are interested in collaborating with me and strengthening school and community ties, please contact me at jpoyer@norwichcsd.org

My name is Brian Bartlett and I joined the Norwich CSD family in January 2020 as Director of Business Services. I hail from a small town about forty-five minutes North of Norwich called Erieville. As a native Central New Yorker, I have spent the majority of my  life in the area attending Cazenovia CSD, Ithaca College and then working and living in the cities of Rochester and Syracuse.

Prior to joining NCSD, I obtained his CPA license and worked in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers and then as a Business Manager for the State University of New York. As the Director of Business Services, I am an integral member of the district’s leadership team. My efforts are focused on ensuring the district continues on a path of financial sustainability in which we seek to streamline district operations in order to maximize resources for our students. The district has faced many challenges the past few years including being listed as the second most fiscally stressed district in New York state. We are happy to report that the NYS Comptroller’s Office has removed NCSD from their list of fiscally stressed schools and we reported positive fund balance for the first time in four years at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year. Although the district will continue to face challenges, my efforts remain committed to ensuring the leadership team aligns budget, finances and the upcoming capital project with the Norwich community’s collective Mission and Vision.

I look forward to sharing further information with the Norwich community as we continue on this journey together!

- From the Norwich City School District Leadership Team