Carol Kostyniak will retire in May as secretary of education for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, ending a nine-year tenure marked by extensive and systemic change among diocese-controlled elementary schools.
Kostyniak informed Bishop Richard Malone of her decision in January and will spend some time with her family this summer while she considers her next engagement. No direct replacement will be hired, with her duties split among other administrators, including Dennis Mahaney, director of evangelization and parish life, and Sister Carol Cimino, schools superintendent.
Cimino will become the diocese top education leader under Malone.
Kostyniak's career included a stint as a computer systems analyst for Kodak's chemistry department, managing a medical practice and becoming a teacher at local Catholic elementary and high schools. She took the diocese top educational post in June 2007 and has been, since that time, a "change agent" focused on the good of the children.
"I've always put my heart and soul into my work and this has been a fabulous ministry for me," Kostyniak said. "I do consider it a ministry, serving the church but most importantly serving the kids."
The secretary position encompassed a broad range of responsibilities, as Kostyniak oversaw successful fundraisers, tended to the needs of a complex system of schools and school governance and sought to advance positions through advocacy and negotiation. Her negotiation to get Catholic school students on Buffalo City School District yellow busses ranks as one of several major accomplishments, she told Business First.
But it was the last few years that will likely define Kostyniak's legacy. She was a leading force behind an exhaustive research project that ultimately recommended the closure of diocese schools due to declining enrollment and finances – a recommendation which Malone executed. The "Faith in Tomorrow" consolidation, announced in early 2014, led to 10 school closures the ensuing fall, engendering outcry amidst many of the school communities and associated parishes.
Two years later, Kostyniak says the "data-based" decisions were the right ones.
Kostyniak informed Bishop Richard Malone of her decision in January and will spend some time with her family this summer while she considers her next engagement. No direct replacement will be hired, with her duties split among other administrators, including Dennis Mahaney, director of evangelization and parish life, and Sister Carol Cimino, schools superintendent.
Cimino will become the diocese top education leader under Malone.
Kostyniak's career included a stint as a computer systems analyst for Kodak's chemistry department, managing a medical practice and becoming a teacher at local Catholic elementary and high schools. She took the diocese top educational post in June 2007 and has been, since that time, a "change agent" focused on the good of the children.
"I've always put my heart and soul into my work and this has been a fabulous ministry for me," Kostyniak said. "I do consider it a ministry, serving the church but most importantly serving the kids."
The secretary position encompassed a broad range of responsibilities, as Kostyniak oversaw successful fundraisers, tended to the needs of a complex system of schools and school governance and sought to advance positions through advocacy and negotiation. Her negotiation to get Catholic school students on Buffalo City School District yellow busses ranks as one of several major accomplishments, she told Business First.
But it was the last few years that will likely define Kostyniak's legacy. She was a leading force behind an exhaustive research project that ultimately recommended the closure of diocese schools due to declining enrollment and finances – a recommendation which Malone executed. The "Faith in Tomorrow" consolidation, announced in early 2014, led to 10 school closures the ensuing fall, engendering outcry amidst many of the school communities and associated parishes.
Two years later, Kostyniak says the "data-based" decisions were the right ones.
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