Superintendent of Schools Dr. Eric Jay Rosser received a Legislative Proclamation from state Sen. Rob Rolison, in honor of “his transformative leadership and service to the Poughkeepsie City School District.”
Rolison, a longtime ally of the district in his role as the city’s mayor and now its representative in the state Senate, delivered the proclamation with a brief presentation in the superintendent’s office Wednesday. Rosser, at the end of this month, will leave his position to take the same role for the Rochester City School District. His replacement on July 1, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Gregory Mott, was among those at the presentation.
Rolison picked out one section of the proclamation to read which, he said, encapsulates the superintendent: “Dr. Rosser’s legacy on the City of Poughkeepsie will long be remembered for his integrity, collaborative leadership and unwavering belief in the promise of every student, as well as his commitment to building stronger connections between schools, families and the broader community,” the senator read, before breaking from script: “Eric, that’s what you’ve done. … We were setting an example of how you can work together.” Together, Rosser and Rolison helped shape and launch the Poughkeepsie’s Children’s Cabinet in early 2020, among other accomplishments. In accepting, Rosser was quick to spread credit for those accomplishments around to Rolison and other leadership throughout the district and city during his six years as superintendent.“It’s an honor to accept this proclamation on behalf of the entire Poughkeepsie community,” he said. “This work could not have been accomplished without our approach to including home and community in being able to address the needs of our children.
“It’s an honor to receive this,” Rosser said. “It speaks to our collective work and our collective impact on student success and impacting, in a positive way, the life trajectory of Poughkeepsie City School District students.”