MAHOPAC – The community is getting a chance to have some input into what kind of individual will be the next leader of the Mahopac Central School District.

In July, Robert Reidy, 62, announced his plans to retire as of July 1, 2009. He joined the district in 2003 and lives in Mahopac. He said last week that he expected to teach college courses and continue living in the community.

Neil S. Belloff, a corporate attorney and five-year Mahopac resident, said he hoped the district would find an instructional leader and a good communicator with the staff and the community who has a clear vision for the district’s future.

“He will be the CEO of the company, so to speak,” said the father of three children, 18, 15, and 12. “It is important that (the person) has the ability to motivate people.”

The Board of Education has asked the Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services to guide it in finding a new leader for the district, which has more than 5,000 students in four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. It is Putnam County’s largest school system and is among the largest of the 18 districts in Putnam and northern Westchester County.

“It is the most important decision the board members have to make in their career,” board President Penny Swift said Friday. “We are hiring the chief financial executive and the chief educational officer who oversees a more-than-$100 million budget and 900 employees.”

Over the past several weeks, Swift said, BOCES personnel solicited information from the community; school employees, including teachers, administrators, transportation workers and maintenance staff; and students.

On Thursday night, Thomas P. Higgins Jr., assistant superintendent for administration at BOCES, hosted a sparsely attended community meeting at Lakeview Elementary School.

Belloff came to the meeting prepared with a handout that specified a dozen qualities for a preferred superintendent. These included financial literacy and experience in accounting and finance, leadership skills – ability to motivate, encourage and reach out to all constituencies – and a history of achievement and commitment.

Another parent, Margaret Moore, said the superintendent should be accessible to parents, students and staff.

“I would say the person needs to be in the field and not someone who stays in the office,” said the 11-year resident, who has three children, 16, 14, and 11.

Higgins said BOCES would send a description of the best candidate to the school board by next week and advertise the post by the end of the month. BOCES would review the resumes, verify information and check references before giving the Mahopac board a list of as many as six candidates for its consideration. A selection is expected by February.

One of the more interesting meetings so far, said Higgins, has been with students.

“They talked about the importance of being able to manage resources, and I was very impressed,” he said. In addition to having leadership qualities and effective communication skills, students told him, the person should be involved with the community outside the school.

“This will affect them, and they had some good, broad suggestions,” he added.

Swift said the board had used BOCES advisers five years ago when it hired Reidy and that it had decided again not to hire an outside firm, which could charge $20,000 or more for the service. BOCES does not charge member districts for the service.

Reidy’s current annual salary is $225,000. A salary level for the new superintendent has not yet been set by the board.