Hampden-Wilbraham School Committee Chairman Peter Salerno said the new position involves "an administrative restructuring and a cost savings of $60,000."
WILBRAHAM – Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea announced the appointment of Timothy W. Connor as the new director of curriculum and instruction for the regional school district.
Connor, who is currently the associate principal at Minnechaug Regional High School, will assume his new duties on July 1.
O’Shea said the new position is a result of the retirement of Donna Scanlon, who has served as the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction since 2001.
Scanlon has announced that she will be retiring at the end of June.
O’Shea said Connor’s responsibilities at Minnechaug have included curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development and accreditation.
Hampden-Wilbraham School Committee Chairman Peter T. Salerno said it was “critical” to fill the position. Salerno said Connor is not being given the title of assistant superintendent.
The new position involves “an administrative restructuring and a cost savings of $60,000,” Salerno said.
Before coming to Minnechaug Regional High School in 1999, Connor spent five years at West Springfield High School, first as a physical education teacher, then as assistant principal. He has a master of education administration degree from Springfield College and is pursuing a doctorate in education.
His undergraduate degree is from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He holds several education certification licenses including superintendent/assistant superintendent.
The fiscal 2012 regional school budget for next year includes $1.3 million for school district administration. The regional school budget also calls for the reduction of 16 teaching positions next year.
The staffing reductions will be made unless negotiations with collective bargaining units to reduce costs are successful, Salerno said.