Feb. 1—Mathis Calvin III was named the new superintendent of Lockport City School District on Wednesday after a unanimous vote by the Board of Education.

Calvin, who currently is the superintendent of Oswego City School District, was present for the board vote and said afterward that he is "so excited" to come to work in Lockport.

"I look forward to working with everyone," he said upon being introduced informally to a small audience in the district office on Beattie Avenue. "I want to do a great job for everyone, especially the students. I want to make sure the students are always safe ... second, that we offer high quality education ... and third, that the district operates in a very efficient and effective manner."

The district will hold a reception for Calvin at Lockport High School on Feb. 9, beginning at 5:30 p.m., where members of the public will be able to meet and speak with the new superintendent.

Prior to his tenure with the Oswego district, Calvin was the superintendent of the Wayne and Stockbridge Valley school districts, both in upstate New York. He has been a special education teacher, principal and director of pupil personnel and has received leadership awards from the University of Rochester, St. John Fisher University and the Rochester City School District, according to a press release issued by the Lockport district on Wednesday.

District trustees said they're excited by Calvin's acceptance of the job.

"This is a wonderful thing for the whole community," trustee Martha Kershaw said.

"This is history for Lockport," trustee Kristin Schutt said.

Trustee Renee Cheatham said "it was time for a change" and she's happy that the deal was sealed at the beginning of Black History Month.

"Despite the long process, I'm happy with the end results," she said.

Calvin's appointment is effective on March 18. Interim superintendent Mike Bonnewell said he'll remain in the job into March and will be there to help Calvin if needed.

"It's how it's supposed to be: serve the district and work with the person coming in," he said.

Terms of Calvin's employment, including his salary, fringe benefits and any incentives offered, could not be obtained by the Union-Sun & Journal on Wednesday. Asked directly for the information, board president Leslie Tobin refused to give it.

"I'm not going to do your job for you. You can do that," Tobin told this reporter. "SeeThroughNY is the website you can see everyone's contracts. It'll be uploaded there. ... I'm not going to hand the contract over."

The Union-Sun & Journal filed a FOIL request for a copy of Calvin's employment agreement with District Clerk Deborah Coder on Wednesday night.