The School Committee voted 7-0 to have him fill in contingent on successful salary negotiations.
The Agawam School Committee voted 7-0 last week to have Assistant Superintendent of Schools William Sapelli, above, fill in for outgoing Superintendent Mary Czajkowski, contingent on successful salary negotiations. AGAWAM – Assistant School Superintendent William P. Sapelli has been provisionally appointed to serve as interim school superintendent from Aug. 29 through Aug. 27, 2012. He will take over from School Superintendent Mary A. Czajkowski, who is leaving to become superintendent of Barnstable schools.
The School Committee voted 7-0 last week to have him fill in contingent on successful salary negotiations. Sapelli, who has been in his position for the last nine years, is currently paid $112,000 a year. Czajkowski is paid $142,000. annually.
Czajkowski advised the School Committee to have Sapelli fill to give it enough time to do a comprehensive search for her replacement. On Tuesday, she said having him step in will provide stability to a district that is in the process of losing several top administrators.
“He is very familiar with the institutions,” Czajkowski said. “He is well known and respected by the staff.”
In addition, Sapelli said Czajkowski’s initiatives in the district have been his initiatives, too, as they have worked very closely together.
“I want to continue what we have been doing because we have been doing wonderful things,” Sapelli said.
Their biggest project has been to prepare the district for the coming implementation of the state’s common core curriculum in the 2012-2013 academic year.
Sapelli, who was born and brought up in Agawam, has worked in the district for more than 30 years.
The 57-year-old educator was a teacher at the Junior High School from 1978 to 1985, an assistant principal at the middle school from 1985 to 1990, principal of Robinson Park School from 1990 to 2002 and assistant school superintendent from 2002 to the present.
Czjakowski expects her last day of work here will be June 30 as she will take vacation time and attend conferences after that.
As assistant school superintendent, Sapelli has been responsible for the curriculum, professional development, the English Language Learners program, home schooling, working with students who need special accommodations and ensuring the district complies with Title 1, which deals with the low-income population.