UPDATE The Westport Board of Education tonight approved a new principal for Bedford Middle School despite some parents saying they preferred Cary Bell, the interim principal.
Melissa Paolini-Kay: Vote was unanimous. WN file photo
The vote to appoint Melissa Paolini-Kay, currently principal at Coleytown Elementary School, was unanimous. She had been recommended last week by Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon. (See WestportNow Apirl 26, 2010)
Landon told the meeting he selected Paolini-Kay after a consulting firm hired by the board conducted a national search. Paolini-Kay has been principal at Coleytown El since 2006. The appointment is effective July 1.
In recommending her for the job, Landon said “Ms. Paolini-Kay brings to the position a passion for teaching and learning; a love for, and commitment to, children; (and) a broad and diverse knowledge of curriculum and instruction.”
In addition, he said she had “a record of positive collaboration with parents and teachers in the operation of her current school” as well as “outstanding and successful leadership as a building principal in Westport.”
During a discussion before the vote, parent Susan Jacobson asked the board to defer acting on the appointment and requested the selection committee solicit broader input from the community.
Bell, who is black, was the first administrator of color in the Westport school system.
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An earlier version of this story contained a paragraph that erroneously said Paolini-Kay was currently principal at Coleytown Middle School instead of Coleytown Elementary School.
It’s a shame another principal for the students at Beford who started at Long Lots,
This makes the 5th or 6th Principal my daughter has had since kindergarden.
Next year this makes number 3 at Bedford alone,
While I can appreciate the concerns regarding constant turnover, I can assure you that Bedford is getting the very best principal in Ms. Paolini-Kay. She will leave behind many fans (students as well as parents) at Coleytown, myself included. Please welcome her warmly, she simply applied for a job and was selected as the best candidate. Bedford will soon learn how lucky they are to have her.