Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A little more than three weeks ago, Dr. Pascal Mubenga was the unanimous pick from the Buffalo School Board to be appointed the next superintendent of the Buffalo Public School District.
After being sworn into office as superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools on Thursday, Dr. Mubenga is now focusing on the short-term goals that will hope to lead to long-term success for the district.
"I'm really excited for this wonderful opportunity, and just to see the vibes that I'm receiving from the community leaders and members and the board, super excited. I cannot wait to see those babies in about two weeks," said Dr. Mubenga following his swearing in ceremony at Buffalo City Hall.
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In his few weeks since being appointed superintendent by the Buffalo School Board, Dr. Mubenga has already learned some good stuff about the "City of Good Neighbors".
"I've been really traveling throughout the city. I've been getting some good feedback, some good data about the district. Why folks are so proud about the district, and some of the challenges that people have for the district. We're going to address those, and that's why I'm really excited about my entry plan, the 100 days that I'm going to spend meeting with community leaders and meeting with everybody in the community," Dr. Mubenga said. "We're going to come up with a robust plan of how we're going to be able to move forward."
With Dr. Mubenga's first day as superintendent slated for Friday, he says there are three things he's planning to do as part of his first 100 days in his new role.
"I'm gonna listen, I'm gonna learn, and at the same time, I'm gonna lead," Dr. Mubenga said. "Just being here for a few weeks, there are some few adjustments that we're going to be able to make. I cannot wait to start revealing this plan at the August Board meeting, and going from that point, I think we're going to be ready to open our schools. And I'm really excited about the things we're going to be able to do."
Another item on Dr. Mubenga's to-do list in the coming weeks will be meeting with his predecessor, Dr. Tonja Williams Knight, and learning a bit from her of what she was able to do well for the district.
"There's some challenges that she had while she was here. With that, that's going to be, really, a starting point to know how we're going to move forward," Dr. Mubenga said. "I'll tell you what, I've heard in the past, a few years ago, the graduation rate was really low, in the [40% range]. So my predecessor did really great work to get our graduation rates where it is now. So I'm going to build up on that and be able to move our district forward."
While it's a bit early for Dr. Mubenga to say what the first challenge is for him to tackle, he says the next two weeks before students return to the classroom will be key.
"I'll be able to meet with our school leaders, and I'm gonna share with them... my four pillars. How to move the district forward," Dr. Mubenga noted. "I always use four pillars for how to be able to move a district forward. I think I can tell you the first one: We've gotta raise the ball for all our students, and that's going to be my expectation with all our school leaders. And then from that point, whatever supports they're going to need, I'll be able to offer it to them so that we will be able to finish up really strong at the end of the year."
One of the upcoming challenges for Dr. Mubenga in the coming months will be the changeover in the Mayor's Office at City Hall. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon announced shortly after his loss to Sean Ryan in the Democratic primary he will not continue to pursue a full term as mayor.
Dr. Mubenga says it doesn't matter who it may be in the Mayor's Office in the coming weeks and months.
"I'm always open. I'm going to start building relationship with whoever is going to be the next mayor, and then we're going to move forward," he said.
As students continue to ready for the upcoming school year, Dr. Mubenga is hoping that parents are excited for what lies ahead in the district.
"We get a new day for Buffalo Public Schools, and in the next two weeks, we're going to work really hard to make sure we welcome our students, making sure that transportation and everything else is really smooth," Dr. Mubenga said. "And then to our educators, I look forward to meeting them before our students comes back, and I'm going to have a strong message for them. It's going to take all of us to be able to move the district forward."