New year brings changes to Groton schools
Many administrative staff members move around after closing of Pleasant Valley Elementary
Groton — The former principal of Pleasant Valley Elementary School is now the principal of Mary Morrisson Elementary, while the former principal of Mary Morrisson is job-searching. The former Mary Morrisson assistant principal now holds the same role at Charles Barnum, while two elementary assistant principal retirements led to promotions for two district teachers.
And, in two weeks, a new business manager will begin work.
Some of these changes stem from the closing of Pleasant Valley at the end of last school year, due to budget cuts.
Superintendent Michael Graner said of the decision to transfer former Pleasant Valley Principal Kathleen Miner to the same position at Mary Morrisson, “A lot of her students went there, so we thought it was really a good match because Pleasant Valley was a high percentage military school. It just made sense to send her to that school.”
Reached by phone last week, former Mary Morrisson Principal Monica Franzone said she is job-searching. She declined to comment on the terms on which she left.
After serving as science coordinator for the district, Franzone became assistant principal at Mary Morrisson in the 2010-11 school year and principal the following year.
Miner served as principal of Pleasant Valley from 2009 until its closing.
“It’s been a great transition,” she said on the first day of school, speaking about her new role at Mary Morrisson. “The staff is wonderful, very supportive, and we’ve pulled together a great team here, and I think we’re ready to start the year with a bang.”
Her main goals in the new position, Miner said, are providing students with the best possible instruction and building a positive school culture so that families feel welcome.
While she still is working with military families, a change for her is working with a larger student population: The number of students was around 310 at Pleasant Valley and is 400 at Mary Morrisson.
The former assistant principal at Mary Morrisson, Christina Post, is now assistant principal at Charles Barnum Elementary. She replaces Donna Duley, who retired.
The new assistant principal at Mary Morrisson is Ada Allen, a teacher in Groton Public Schools since 2005. She holds a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of New Haven and a certification in educational leadership from Southern Connecticut State University.
The new assistant principal at Northeast Academy Elementary, Stephanie Wheeler, has taken the position formerly held by Judy Leonard, who retired.
Wheeler had worked as a physical education teacher in the district since 2008, spending all but one year at Northeast Academy.
She was named Teacher of the Year in 2013 and received a certificate of advanced graduate studies in educational leadership from the University of New England in 2014.
One initiative she wants to continue as assistant principal is her work on Journey to Success, an initiative based on the children’s book, “Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success” by John Wooden, former UCLA head basketball coach.
It has involved classroom lessons, assemblies and a mural.
On the districtwide level, the new business manager is Kenneth Knight, who will be starting in two weeks. He previously worked as accounting manager for PCC Structurals in Groton, finance manager for Fusion Paperboard in Versailles and assistant vice president of finance/HR for Employee Family Protection in Glastonbury.
At West Side Middle School, former Assistant Principal Jeff Kotecki is serving as interim principal, and Human Resources Director Laurie LePine said she expects a decision on the principal around mid-September.