WINCHESTER — School board members have appointed Winchester
School’s principal as interim superintendent for the 2012-13 school
year.
James M. Lewis took over the administrative position in the district Monday, when former Superintendent Kenneth R. Dassau’s contract expired.
Lewis will continue some of his duties as principal,
and Assistant Principal Pamela B. Bigelow will take on some new
responsibilities, school board Chairman Trevor S. Croteau said.
“We feel that he’s more than capable of doing a great job at that position, and he was more than happy to fill that role for us,” Croteau said. “His heart is in our school, and we want to find someone like that who’s going to put their full effort into making things work, and Jim is doing that.”
Lewis started as principal of the kindergarten-through-8th-grade school in 2009. Prior to coming to Winchester, he worked as an assistant principal in Candia for seven years.
Board members will begin a search in January or February to hire a permanent superintendent, Croteau said.
Dassau served as superintendent of the district for about a year after N.H. School Administrative Unit 38 — which covered the Winchester, Hinsdale and Monadnock Regional districts — dissolved. In June, he notified the board of his intent to resign.
He continued in the position throughout the summer to help the board search for candidates to replace the director of technology and the business administrator, who also resigned in June.
The technology director and business administrator jobs were two of the central office positions whose salary and hours were reduced, without a reduction in job responsibilities, for the 2012-13 school year. Those cuts were in response to a voter-approved $10.8 million budget — about $675,000 less than what the school board recommended and $250,000 less than the previous year’s budget.
Earlier this month board members hired Lori Schmidt as business administrator, and last week the school board approved contracts for Wes Vaughn as technology director and Suzanne Cooper as director of student services to oversee special education.
Kaitlin Mulhere can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or kmulhere @keenesentinel.com
James M. Lewis took over the administrative position in the district Monday, when former Superintendent Kenneth R. Dassau’s contract expired.
“We feel that he’s more than capable of doing a great job at that position, and he was more than happy to fill that role for us,” Croteau said. “His heart is in our school, and we want to find someone like that who’s going to put their full effort into making things work, and Jim is doing that.”
Lewis started as principal of the kindergarten-through-8th-grade school in 2009. Prior to coming to Winchester, he worked as an assistant principal in Candia for seven years.
Board members will begin a search in January or February to hire a permanent superintendent, Croteau said.
Dassau served as superintendent of the district for about a year after N.H. School Administrative Unit 38 — which covered the Winchester, Hinsdale and Monadnock Regional districts — dissolved. In June, he notified the board of his intent to resign.
He continued in the position throughout the summer to help the board search for candidates to replace the director of technology and the business administrator, who also resigned in June.
The technology director and business administrator jobs were two of the central office positions whose salary and hours were reduced, without a reduction in job responsibilities, for the 2012-13 school year. Those cuts were in response to a voter-approved $10.8 million budget — about $675,000 less than what the school board recommended and $250,000 less than the previous year’s budget.
Earlier this month board members hired Lori Schmidt as business administrator, and last week the school board approved contracts for Wes Vaughn as technology director and Suzanne Cooper as director of student services to oversee special education.
Kaitlin Mulhere can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or kmulhere @keenesentinel.com
4 comments:
Well, the gloom and doomers may have to admit that this school board is getting the job done.
And it all started with the voters last March.
People finally asked the right questions and voted in some new members.
More can be done this March, we may be going in the right direction for once.
Isnt Kevan up for re-election this March?
twKudos to the board for recognizing Mr. Lews's capabilities. Perhaps now we will not have to worry about the quality of our childrens education. I am certain tha given the opportunity that Ms. Bigelow will perform hew new duties to the best of her ability.
Come election time there will be 2 seats on the ballot.
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