New Superintendent Named, 2.87 Percent Budget Increase Proposed for RSD17

The Board of Education has selected Southington Assistant School Superintendent Howard J. Thiery  as Regional School District 17's new superintendent.

Thiery was introduced during the district's school board  meeting Tuesday night and will replace outgoing superintendent Gary Mala, who will leave this week for Avon schools.

Thiery is scheduled to begin his new position here April 1.

He has worked as Southington's assistant superintendent since 2007 and served as the district's interim superintendent for six months in his first year there, school board chairwoman Amy Jacques-Purdy said in an email to staff Tuesday announcing Thiery's hiring.

Before that, her email said, he was principal of the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science.  He started teaching in public schools in 1989.  From 1987-1989, he was an instructor of  human anatomy and physiology at the University of Connecticut, and  co-authored the "Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual" at UConn. He also authored "Neuroscience Laboratory/Classroom Activities" for the National Association of Biology Teachers and Society for Neuroscience. 

He completed the Executive Leadership Program at UConn in 2007 and earned a master's degree in physiology and and neurobiology. He holds a bachelor's degree from Marquette University, Jacques-Purdy said in her email.

"The board feels fortunate to have found a candidate that demonstrated many of the characteristics and skills that staff and community members expressed were important during the focus sessions," she wrote in her message to school staff. "He knows teaching and learning, is focused on children and achievement (beyond test scores) and has strong interpersonal and communications skills.  We believe he will be a great match for Regional School District 17."

The district, she added, will hold a reception in early April to welcome the new superintendent and give parents and teachers a chance to meet him.

During Tuesday night's school board meeting Mala, in one of his final acts as  superintendent, proposed a $38,448,242 million budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The new budget represents a 2.87 percent increase to the current budget.

Mala said the budget is "fair, responsible and meets the need of all children."

Overall the proposal calls for $1,073,817.09 in increased spending. An Executive Summary of the proposal is available at right by clicking on the PDF.

Check back with Patch for more details.