CARBONDALE - Before he officially moves into his new office in April, Joseph Gorham wants to learn about the district from the people who know it best.
He has some ideas of what he wants to accomplish as the new Carbondale Area superintendent, but he wants to set goals for the district's future in a collaborative way.
He kicked off a 10-day "listening tour" Feb. 21, touring the district and allowing staff and students to match a face to a new name. He will spend nine more days throughout this month stopping by and having conversations with district personnel.
Mr. Gorham, 41, of Ashley, was appointed to the position Feb. 19 at a $110,000 yearly salary. He succeeds Dominick Famularo, Ed.D., who retired in June after working in the district for 41 years.
Business Manager David Cerra has served as acting superintendent during the interim months, and he looks forward to holding only one role.
"Now we'll return to some normalcy," he said at a board meeting Feb. 20, noting contract negotiations and upcoming budget talks.
Over the next month, Mr. Gorham, who is the current elementary principal at the Northwest Area School District in Luzerne County, will ease the way for his successor at Northwest and prepare to take the reins in Carbondale.
"I've never been interested in following," he said. "You use models and research as reference points, but really you have to make it local and do what's best for Carbondale Area."
Educating students in the best way possible is his first priority, but he will also keep the taxpayers in mind. As a councilman in Ashley, he has a background in budgeting money.
"I'm sure there are many people that will tell you, although I'm a liberal-minded social guy, when it comes to spending tax dollars, we don't waste one penny," he said.
He also wants to move toward having the students use the resources in the local community.
"It will mean getting kids out into our community to see the host of opportunities that exist right here in our region," he said. "Although we sometimes have a mentality that there aren't any opportunities in our backyard, I tend to disagree with that."
He looks for chances to connect education and life, even having conversations with his 5-year-old son about the people who design dump trucks he spots on the highway.
"I truly believe we have to make academics relevant for the child," he said.
Mr. Gorham is a proponent of the "common core shift," which he explained as a move toward coursework that is rigorous and relevant.
"I am very serious about academic success, both in action and in word," he said.
He holds two master's degrees from Wilkes University, one in education strategies and another in administration.
Mr. Gorham also holds a superintendent's letter of eligibility certification from Marywood University, and he has worked as a high school and middle school principal. He plans to commute from his home in Ashley and continue his role on the Ashley borough council for now.
All of his collective experience, which includes some time spent as an on-air personality and as a landscaper, will shape his contributions and leadership at Carbondale, he said.
"It was a very welcoming group of people, and I hope that we continue on with that type of relationship," he said.
Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter