Region 6 school district hires new chief

Leone was Torrington superintendent in 2009

TORRINGTON >> Christopher Leone, who formerly served the Torrington schools as its superintendent from December 2009 to June 2011, has been hired as the next superintendent for the Region 6 schools, according to an announcement from the district.

Leone will succeed Ed Drapp, who has been the superintendent for the regional school district covering Goshen, Morris and Warren for the past seven years.

“Mr. Leone was selected after an extensive search process conducted over the past seven months that included input from the staff and community in the form of focus groups and surveys,” district representatives said in the release. “Mr. Leone was the candidate that stood out from a large initial pool of applicants for the position.

“The Region 6 community is a very special place,” said Region 6 board chairman Chris Sanders, in the release. “We wanted a superintendent who could work well with our community to build on the excellent progress that has been made during Ed’s long tenure with us.”

Leone comes to Region 6 from Unified School District #2, where he serves as superintendent.

“The Region 6 Board, administrators, and teachers, have done excellent educational work in recent years,” said Leone as part of the release. “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the continued collaboration to benefit the students and families of Warren, Morris and Goshen. “

According to the district’s statement, Leone has worked in a number of roles during his career, including superintendent, principal, Chief Operating Officer, and teacher. Leone was hired to lead Torrington schools in December 2009, then moved on to take a position in Bloomfield in June 2011.

He is a graduate of Union College and has a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University.

“We were impressed with the wide range of educational and operational experience that Chris brings with him,” said Sanders “His knowledge of the current issues and pressures faced by school districts in Connecticut will serve us well.”

School officials said Leone and Drapp will work concurrently in the district until July 1. He will be introduced to the school community later in the school year.

Drapp became the fulltime superintendent for the Region 6 schools in March 2012, according to past reporting, after previously working in the same role in an interim capacity. Before that, he was the district’s business manager for three years.