Rex Germer, Town of Webb Superintendent of Schools
Rex Germer, Building Principal at the Town of Webb School since 2008, was appointed as the new Super-intendent by the Board of Education, effective February 1, 2012.
He will replace Donald Gooley, who retires as Superintendent of the School District on January 31.
Germer was one of three candidate finalists for the position.
“When I got the phone call it really felt great. The (selection) process was long but it was necessary to get a feel for each of the candidates,” Germer said.
Germer, who is a 1990 graduate of the Town of Webb School, said that in his senior year book, he stated that he was going to come back to the area as a doctor.
“That was my plan, but education found me,” he said.
While doing graduate work, he was called upon by a friend to substitute for a fifth grade class. This led to his continuing interest and eventual degree in education.
Germer is a 1996 graduate of SUNY/Potsdam and received his Education Administration Masters degree from St. Lawrence University in 2004. He also received a certificate of Advanced Studies from St. Lawrence University in 2010.
Before being appointed Principal at the Town of Webb School, he was the Assistant Principal at Carthage High School in Carthage, NY.
Germer, who moved to the Old Forge area from Long Island with his family when he was 14, said it was definitely a big change, but a good fit.
“I consider this my home much more than Long Island where I spent my first 14 years,” he said.
His brothers Scott and Sven, and his sister Danielle, were also graduates of the Town of Webb School, and his mother, Virginia (Ginny), who is manager of Clark’s Beach Motel, was a member of the School Board in the late 1980s.
His father Arthur, who gave up his job on the Stock Exchange to move the family to the Adirondacks, passed away two weeks ago.
Serving as principal these last four years has been good, Germer said.
“We have a good school population and a good teaching staff. Collectively the group works well together and they are willing to look at change and embrace it,” he said.
Education is undergoing massive changes in such areas as teacher evaluations and core curriculum, and many of the changes are being made at the same time, he explained.
“We’re working through things as we can. Every time I attend a new training, something else has changed. So it’s a tough time right now for education, but everyone believes in the ultimate end goal. It’s just the process of getting there that makes it difficult,” he said.
But Germer said he doesn’t expect to make immediate changes in his new position as Superintendent.
“Coming in at mid-year I don’t see myself shaking up the system right off. There are certainly things that I’m going to look at. In the interviews for the position some things definitely came up that are concerns to different groups. I want to address them and I want to hear if people have collective ideas to solve some of the problems,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot going on here, but it’s a great little place. Every place has its issues and we’re not immune to a lot of what you would find in a bigger school, but the difference is, we know the kids and I think we can impact them more personally and really benefit them with better outcomes,” he added.
