Editor’s note: This press announcement was provided by the Pelham School District.

Retiring district staff were honored at the Pelham Board of Education’s second to last public meeting of the year. Additionally Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Champ provided an update on the status of hiring several open administrative positions and the Board acted to hire an architect for the post-bond work.

Retiree Recognition

Psychologist Paul Farrell (36 years of service), Special Education Teacher/CSE Chairperson Regina Ricci (21 years of service), Superintendent’s Secretary/District Clerk Stevie Pollock (32 years of service) and Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services Rosemary Matthews (13 years of service) were each recognized on their upcoming retirements from the Pelham Public Schools. Dr. Champ spoke about each of the four retirees, as well as former Nurse Joan Walder and former Director of Facilities Anthony Mandile, both of whom retired earlier this school year.

Each retiree was presented with a hand-turned wooden pen to commemorate their careers. Mrs. Pollock and Mrs. Matthews were also each presented with proclamations from the Board of Education honoring their District-level service.

Personnel Update

Dr. Champ updated the Board on the status of filling four administrative positions – Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services, Middle School Principal, Secondary Supervisor for Special Education, and Director of Technology.

After re-opening the search and completing another full round of interviews for the Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services position, the District has elected to instead search for an interim candidate. This will allow the District additional time to continue the search and broaden the pool of candidates to ensure that the position is filled with an experienced candidate who closely matches the vision for the pupil personnel department expressed by parents, teachers and the administration. In the coming weeks, the District and Board will work to identify candidates for the interim position with the goal of making an appointment by the beginning of July.

The District administration, focus groups, and the Board of Education have also been interviewing candidates for the Middle School Principal and Secondary Supervisor for Special Education position. Appointments for these positions are anticipated at the Board’s June 20 meeting.

Screening of candidates for Director of Technology is under way and top candidates will soon meet with focus groups and the Board of Education. The position is expected to be filled prior to the start of the school year.

KGD Selected as District’s Architectural Firm

Following the successful bond referendum on May 15, the District immediately posted a Request for Proposal for Architectural Services for the design of the approved projects. The District advertised the RFP and reached out individually to several firms. Two site visits were held with representatives of interested firms and three firms submitted proposals.

On June 4, the Board of Education and Bond Steering Committee, which includes community members with experience in architecture, construction, commercial development and finance, held a joint meeting in executive session to interview all three firms. Factors in the evaluation process included cost, mandatory qualification, and technical merit.

After thorough discussion with the Bond Steering Committee, the Board of Education voted to continue with KGD Architects, which had previously provided pre-bond feasibility architectural services to the District.

The District has now posted a new RFP for Construction Management Services and will follow a similar process for selecting that firm.

Upcoming Meetings

The Pelham Board of Education will meet in Executive Session to discuss matters pertaining to the employment of particular person (s) at 12:15 pm on Tuesday, June 12in the Superintendent’s Conference Room at 18 Franklin Place. No public session is anticipated.

The Board of Education’s final meeting of the school year will be at 8:15 pm on Wednesday, June 20. At the meeting, outgoing Board Trustee Stephen Molineaux and President Madeline Smith will be recognized for their service to the Pelham Public Schools. Additionally, Dr. Champ will present her year-end report and a public hearing will be held regarding the District’s Smart Schools Investment Act application.

The annual reorganizational meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, July 9 at 8:15 pm.