Region One hires assistant superintendent

FALLS VILLAGE — Jeanine Rose, the K-12 coordinator of curriculum and instruction in the Suffield public schools, has been appointed as the new assistant superintendent for Region One.

Superintendent Lisa Carter made the announcement at the regular monthly meeting of the Region One Board of Education on Monday, June 6. Rose begins on July 1.

Jill Pace and Scott Fellows have been serving together as interim assistant superintendents since 2020. They will return to their previous positions.

The meeting began with a report from student representative Melody Matsudaira, who explained that the student government of Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) recently met  for the first time in a while and elected positions for the next school year.

She reported that Spirit Week focused on clothing this year, with students  able to dress up with different themes. “It’s a good way to get the school spirit up,” Matsudaira said.

The board approved three-year contracts for Jeff Lloyd as facilities manager at HVRHS and Michelle Curtis as human resources generalist for Region One, and approved the hiring of John Connelly as a Pupil Services school social worker, Brigid Garcia as Pupil Services K-8 and Micah Conway as a math teacher.

An update was given on the possible use of hybrid meetings for the board in the future. The recently formed hybrid meeting committee determined that the current equipment available to the board was not sufficient for hybrid meetings, and the committee recommended hiring a consultant.

Network Administrator Mike Ellington is planning to reach out to Graham Stone, a former HVRHS student who now owns his own recording business.

The board went into executive session to discuss the contract negotiations with non-certified staff. Subsequently the board voted to approve the new contract, which covers 61 employees throughout Region One.

The contract includes a 4% pay raise each year for three years; an increase in health insurance premium cost share for employees; and changes in contract language about the use of personal and sick leave.