New principal hired for HVRHS

By Patrick L. SullivanFALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School has a new principal. Region One School District Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain made the announcement at the regular monthly meeting of the Region One Board of Education Monday, May 2.Matthew J. Harnett, currently principal at Berlin (Conn.) High School, will start at Housatonic on July 1, at a salary of $128,000. The contract is for two years; the second year is negotiable.Harnett was educated at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Bridgeport, and Sacred Heart University. He was principal of Torrington Middle School from 2006-10, associate principal at New Britain High School from 2004-06, and assistant principal at Seymour High School from 2002-04. He began his teaching career in 1992 at Shepaug.Chamberlain said Harnett was the unanimous choice of the search committee and the Region One Board of Education (the latter met in executive session prior to the regular meeting). Board Chairman Judge Manning said after the meeting that there was no second choice; if the board had not hired Harnett the entire process would have begun anew.Former Principal Gretchen Foster resigned days before the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, as did Assistant Principal Maryann Buchanan.Herb Tedford has been interim principal at the high school.A new assistant principal, Ian Strever, was hired earlier this year. Other businessThe board heard from Karen Prince, representing the guidance department, who said that Housatonic seniors have been accepted at 118 different schools, including Bennington College, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Fordham University, Mount Holyoke and Stanford University.Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick reported that a request for proposals had been sent out for an independent auditing firm for the region. Thus far the only bid received is from the current company, King, King and Associates of Winsted. Their current contract is for $18,750; Herrick said the bid is for three years, at $19,250, $19,650, and $20,240.Herrick also recommended extending the contract for landscaping services with Foley Land Services of North Canaan, who have handled the mowing for the last two years. Herrick said their rate would go up from $12,972 per year to $14,000.The board tabled a discussion of email policies, and agreed to purchase a policy book from the law firm of Shipman and Goodwin for $3,500.Administrators and board members have long opined that the existing policy manual for Region One is antiquated and cumbersome. The Shipman and Goodwin model policies for school districts can be modified by the board to suit the region’s unique needs. “May I assume this is going to be digital?” asked Manning hopefully.The answer was yes.