Finalists Named For Chatham Elementary, Middle School Principal Jobs

by Tim Wood

            CHATHAM --- Several finalists have been chosen for the principal positions at the elementary and middle schools, and new administrators for each school are expected to be named next month.

            Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Anne Lanzo interviewed three finalists for the middle school principal position this week.  Two finalists for the elementary school principal job were interviewed last week. 

            Under consideration for the elementary school principal position is Gaylene Heppe, currently principal at the Willett Elementary School in Attleboro.  The school has about 420 students in grades pre-K through four.

            The other elementary school principal finalist is Anne Cignoli, district curriculum facilitator and a classroom teacher at the Millville Elementary School in the Blackstone Millville Regional School District in Millville.  The pre-K through sixth grade school has about 460 students.

            Chatham’s elementary school includes pre-K through fourth grade with about 280 students.

            The middle school principal candidates are Patricia Hill, a vice principal at the Barnstable Middle School; Kathleen Zimmerman, a lead math teacher at Cape Cod Technical High School and former assistant principal in Brattleboro, Vt.; and Lisa Sjoftrom, assistant principal at the Oak Hill Middle School in Newton.  Chatham’s middle school includes grades five through eight with a population of about 220 students.

            Current Chatham Elementary School Principal Daniel Deneen and Middle School Principal Marie McKay will leave their positions at the end of June.  Deneen, who headed the school for two years, is leaving to become principal at an elementary school in Boylston in Central Massachusetts.  McKay, a 24-year veteran of the school system, will become assistant superintendent of the Barnstable school district.

            Lanzo said there were 22 applicants for the elementary principal position and 16 for the job at the middle school.  Two search committees screened the applications and each interviewed 10 candidates. A list of four finalists were sent to Lanzo, who chose Heppe and Cignoli.  She interviewed all three finalists for the middle school position.

            “I think we did fairly well with the elementary” candidates, Lanzo said late last week, noting that the field is “pretty competitive” right now, with several openings on the Cape.  “The pool is shrinking in terms of the number of administrators available,” she said.

            Either candidate “would be a good match for the school system,” she said.  “It’s a matter of making that decision in terms of instructional leadership for the schools.”

            Lanzo had hoped to have a final candidates for the elementary position ready to announce at this month’s school committee meeting. Because of town meeting, however, the school committee moved its meeting to this past Monday. References for the two candidates were still being contacted, so she was not yet ready to make a decision.  She’ll be ready to announce new principals for both schools at the June 10 school committee meeting, and she hopes both will be on board by July 1.

            Filling the position of director of student services has been more challenging.  The job was advertised and several candidates interviewed, but Lanzo said they were the right fit for the school district. It’s a wide-ranging position, encompassing  curriculum development, oversight of special education and professional development, and the only other position beside the superintendent of schools that is district-wide.  It has always been difficult to fill, said Lanzo, who served in the position before becoming superintendent of schools.  When she was promoted, two searches had to be conducted to fill the position, she added.

            “It’s pivotal that we have the right person in that role,” Lanzo said.  Rosanne Crowley, who is retiring from the position, was “an exceptional administrator” who helped the system keep costs in line through management of special education placements, she said.

            A second search to fill the position got underway this week with advertisements appearing in regional newspapers, Lanzo said.

5/8/08