On Board Online • June 9, 2025
By Betty A. Rosa
Commissioner of Education
Since their creation more than 75 years ago, BOCES have delivered an array of vital programs and services to New York's students and school districts through an organizational structure that is based on collaboration and partnership. By leveraging economies of scale, the state's 37 BOCES provide these programs and services in a cost-effective way, enabling districts to reduce their operational overhead, while at the same time expanding the learning opportunities they provide to students.
Much of the credit belongs to BOCES boards of education and the hard-working "district superintendents" who supervise BOCES.
District superintendents have existed since 1910. They reported solely to the commissioner of education prior to 1948.
Today, district superintendents fulfill two separate, equally important roles. First, they act as the chief executive officer of their individual BOCES. At the same time, they also serve as the commissioner of education's regional representative, helping to implement state policy at the local level.
I rely on district superintendents to assist with the development and implementation of Regents and departmental policy initiatives. Recently, for example, they helped to convene, host and facilitate meetings on some of New York's most pressing education issues, including digital equity; inclusivity; early childhood development; and, of course, revising the state's graduation requirements.
Twice I have selected a district superintendent to serve as senior deputy commissioner of the State Education Department (SED). The position calls for a person with firsthand experience in school district management, a deep knowledge of pedagogy and well-established connections in the field. District superintendents possess all of those skills and more.
I meet with each of the district superintendents individually throughout the year, and we come together as a group monthly.
At these meetings, the district superintendents share candid, ground-level insights on the issues and concerns they are experiencing locally as well as best practices and successful strategies. I ask them for their unfiltered perspective, and they are never shy about telling me what is working in their schools and communities, what needs improvement, and how the state can help.
In many ways, the BOCES are where the "rubber meets the road" in public education in New York State, and the district superintendents help to ensure that the coordination is seamless. They accelerate information sharing; assist in the clarification and resolution of issues; and ensure accurate, timely data collection.
Today, BOCES are synonymous with innovation and academic rigor, offering career-ready programs that match the demands of today's high-tech, high-skills industries. But it wasn't always this way. As one former BOCES director recalled in a 1981 New York Times article: "BOCES [were] viewed as a dumping ground for students who were ... unmotivated. Even guidance counselors thought occupational education merely meant auto mechanics and cosmetology." We've come a long way since then.
Gone are the outdated stereotypes. Today, New Yorkers see and appreciate the BOCES for what they are: essential, indispensable partners in our work to provide all students with educational opportunities that go far beyond the traditional classroom and prepare them for productive lives after graduation.
While many have played important roles in the growth of BOCES, one group that has been especially critical to our progress: district superintendents.