The School Committee had create a new position at a lower salary to replace that of assistant school superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
AGAWAM – The School Committee has agreed to create the new position of director of curriculum and instruction despite a suggestion by mayoral candidate Rosemary Sandlin that funds for the job be used to save the job of two secretaries.
The committee voted 6-1 Tuesday to establish the new position and set a salary of $80,000 to $85,000 a year. The new position would replace that of assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. The person who currently holds that job, William P. Sapelli, will become interim school superintendent in late August.
School Superintendent Mary A. Czajkowski, who is leaving this summer to take a job on Cape Cod, proposed that with Sapelli leaving his job now would be a good time to eliminated that position and create a new, lower-paid job. Sapelli’s salary is $110,047 a year.
Officials have agreed to post the new job right away to get someone on board in time to replace Sapelli as soon as possible.
Sandlin argued at Tuesday’s meeting that the School Committee could keep the position by budgeting $1 for it and use the rest of the money to retain the jobs of two school secretaries slated for layoffs.
Over the next year, Sandlin suggested responsibilities with curriculum could be handled by principals and assistant principals. Sandlin, who used to the city’s state representative, also served on the School Committee for 22 years.
Mayor Richard E. Cohen, who chairs the School Committee, voted in favor of establishing the new job. Cohen said he supports the establishment of the new position as it has been endorsed by the school system’s chief educational experts, Sapelli and Czajkowski.
Responsibilities of the director of curriculum and instruction will include overseeing curriculum and instruction, professional development and English as a second language programs as well as ensuring compliance with Title 1, which governs antipoverty efforts, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 defines whether a person has a disability, including mental, physical and health impairments.