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Coleman has lived in Lysander for 42 years with his wife, Kathy, of 47 years. They have five children, all of whom attended Baker High School, and 12 grandchildren.
“It’s a good place,” he said about his choice to settle down in Baldwinsville. “It was important to set roots and the school system was excellent.”
Having been a member of the system, Coleman should know. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his master’s from the University of Maryland, he taught biology at Baker High School in 1967 and later served as the school’s principal from 1976 to 1986. From there, he became the director of secondary education (seventh through 12th grades) at Cortland City Schools. This position provided him with the opportunity to create a significant partnership.
Working with the Department of Social Services (DSS) and SUNY Cortland, Coleman initiated a comprehensive prevention program for at-risk youth known as Graduation Requires Effort And Time (GREAT) Kids. At the time, statistics showed that 20 percent of incoming seventh grade students in the Cortland City School District were dropping out. Coleman saw an opportunity to maximize the three organizations’ resources to curb the dropout rate.
Together, DSS, SUNY Cortland and the district envisioned and then created the program, which was the first of its kind in the state.
“We provided an opportunity for success for those youngsters and their families,” Coleman said, and within two years, the drop out rate was reduced to less than 2 percent.
“A spin-off of the GREAT Kids program was a decrease in the cost of foster care,” Coleman added.
The program was validated by New York State and is now being duplicated and implemented elsewhere.
Afterwards, Coleman served as superintendent of LaFayette Schools from 1992 to 2002, then as a consultant. Having retired, he said it was time to give back.
- From an article by Erin Smith in the Baldwinsville Messenger.
