Thomas Welch will be principal of East Street Elementary School and Melissa Knowles will be principal of Veterans Park Elementary School.
LUDLOW – Interim School Superintendent Kenneth J. Grew Tuesday announced the appointment of four new school administrators.
The new administrators are Thomas Welch, the new principal of East Street Elementary School; Melissa Knowles, who will replace Susan Dukeshire as principal of Veterans Park Elementary School; Eva Tillotson, in charge of student support services, which oversees special education programs in the school district; and Diana Roy, the new curriculum director for the school district.
All four appointments are one-year appointments, but Grew said he is prepared to make them three-year appointments prior to the end of his one-year term as interim superintendent.
Grew, a retired school superintendent, was hired as one-year interim superintendent while the School Committee advertises for a permanent superintendent.
Three of the four appointments were made from within the school district. The fourth, Welch, has been an assistant principal for an elementary school in Belchertown.
Grew replaced Theresa M. Kane, who left to take a job as school superintendent in East Windsor, Conn.
When Kane left, some school administrators left with her, some listing “philosophical differences” with the School Committee.
While Kane had supported hiring academic coaches to assist teachers in bringing up student test scores, the School Committee said they favored putting the coaches in the classroom as teachers to bring down class size.
Also on Tuesday, the School Committee voted to advertise for a new principal of Ludlow High School to replace Gina Flanagan and a new principal of Chapin Street Elementary School to replace Lisa Dakin. Both are leaving to take positions in other school districts.
School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kelliher said he favors making the additional principal appointments three-year appointments to give the school system stability.
Kelliher said he believes the school system is moving forward in a positive direction.
At Grew’s suggestion, School Committee members recently had a meeting with school administrators and teachers, he said.
“I feel we have a good relationship and are breaking down a lot of barriers,” Kelliher said.