Grew is expected to begin working in mid-June.
LUDLOW
– School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kelliher said Kenneth J. Grew, of Grafton, has accepted the position of interim superintendent.“We will meet with him next week to work out a per diem rate,” Kelliher said. “I think he will be starting around mid-June.”
Kelliher said he would like there to be some overlap between Grew’s tenure and the tenure of Superintendent Theresa M. Kane.
Kane is leaving July 1 to take a job as superintendent of schools in East Windsor, Conn.
Grew retired as superintendent of the Foster-Glocester Regional School District in Rhode Island in 2004.
The School Committee voted 5 to 0 to select Grew for the position.
The School Committee plans to hire an interim superintendent for six months to a year while it advertises and interviews for a permanent superintendent.
School Committee member James P. Harrington said he voted to hire Grew for the interim superintendent job because he feels that Grew is “a people person” and is interested in listening to the people in the community.
In an interview with the School Committee on Wednesday Grew said he is interested in having “two-way conversations” with the people in the community.
Grew told the School Committee he would find a coffee shop in town to hear people’s concerns about the schools.
School Committee members said they were impressed that Grew has served on the Grafton Board of Selectmen, the Grafton Board of Assessors, the Grafton High School Building Committee and was a former member of the Norton School Committee.
Harrington said he believes Grew will see issues from more than one perspective.
School Committee member Patricia Gregoire said she believes Grew will have “high visibility in the community” and “will get to know the local people.”
The School Committee interviewed two other finalists for the position - Janice K. Lachowetz of South Hadley, retired superintendent of the Gateway Regional School District, and Michael A. Buoniconti of Ludlow, who is currently serving as superintendent of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District.