SSCSD Appoints New Director of Physical Education, Athletics, Health

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District has announced the hiring of John Goodson as the next Director of Physical Education, Athletics, and Health.

Goodson had spent the previous 13 years in the same position at the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District. He will assume the role on July 17, according to a statement on the SSCSD website.

Goodson said his time at Jamesville-DeWitt has been “great,” and said he and his wife are looking forward to joining the Saratoga Springs community.

“My wife and I are both looking forward to Saratoga, for what Saratoga has to offer,” said Goodson. “The school, the community. The history of the program is strong and rich. I’m looking forward to working with their program.”

“We are excited to welcome John Goodson to our district leadership team,” said SSCSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Patton in a statement. “John has a very strong background as an athletic administrator, and Jamesville-DeWitt has earned the distinction of being one of the top high school interscholastic athletic programs in the state under John’s leadership. John is looking forward to working closely with our students, teachers, coaches, parents, and the community and continuing the outstanding programs and opportunities that are available to all students here in Saratoga Springs.”

Goodson said he was drawn to the culture of Saratoga and noted the community involvement in the district stood out during his interview process.

“I just love hearing, coming from the superintendent and then every stakeholder in the interview, the value of having leadership in the field of health, physical education, and athletics,” Goodson said. “It wasn’t all just about student-athletes. It was about their overall mental health, physical health. It was just so refreshing.”

Goodson is to replace Nicholas McPartland, who has accepted a role as Principal at Queensbury Middle School. Patton thanked McPartland for his dedication to the district in a statement posted to the district website.

“I would like to thank Nick McPartland for the tremendous job he has done for the past four years leading our physical education, health, and athletics department. Nick has developed a close working relationship with our student-athletes, coaches, and our community and will be missed,” said Patton in the statement. 

Prior to his role at Jamesville-DeWitt, Goodson had served as Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics at both the Johnson City Central School District and Sherburne-Earlville Central School District. 

Goodson, a native of Clinton, earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education at Ithaca College, and a master’s degree in athletic administration at the University of Northern Colorado, the release states. He has also received a certificate of advanced study from SUNY Cortland in educational leadership.

He stressed the importance of providing well-rounded care in health, physical education, and athletics, saying keeping students at “the center of our decision-making” will be a top priority.

“They’re the reason that we go to work every day,” Goodson said. “There’s a ton of experiences that I have, both in municipal, intercollegiate, high school athletics. But I’m always going to keep the student as my center, as my focus.”

Goodson said his first step in his new role will be simply “to listen.”

“I want to hear what they’ve been working on,” said Goodson. “I want the people to be involved in setting the mission statement, if you will, and setting the action plan. That’s what I’ll be doing. I’ll be meeting with all the stakeholder groups, listening, and then developing an action plan to move forward.”