AMHERST — The search for a new Fort River Elementary School principal continues after a visit by finalist candidate Doreen Cunningham was postponed and the application deadline was extended to June 6 on Wednesday.
Current Fort River principal Bobbie Finocchio announced her resignation April 1. Finocchio, who will remain in the position until June 30, said her decision was prompted by a need to be closer to her family in eastern Massachusetts.
A visit with sole finalist Cunningham, which included a public forum and meetings with students, staff and administration, was postponed after the community expressed concern regarding having only one finalist, according to director of human resources Kathryn Mazur.
“The community was very interested in seeing more than one finalist, and we want to respond to that,” Mazur said.
Debbie Westmoreland, assistant to the superintendent, said the school planned Wednesday to send an email to families updating them on the principal search.
Superintendent Maria Geryk and a screening committee made up of faculty, administrators, parents and guardians initially selected three finalists to consider: Cunningham, Patty Bode and Diane Chamberlain.
Bode was appointed interim principal at Amherst Regional Middle School following the resignation of current principal Marisa Mendonsa last week. Mendonsa will leave her position June 30.
“I’m looking to pursue other opportunities,” Mendonsa said. “I’m appreciative of my time spent in Amherst.”
Mendonsa declined to specify what those opportunities might be.
Chamberlain, the third candidate, withdrew for personal reasons, according to Mazur, leaving Cunningham as the sole finalist for consideration.
Cunningham will remain a finalist and the school will extend the application deadline to June 6. Mazur said the school hopes to present two to three finalists to the community as it did during the hiring process of Finocchio and previous principal Monica Hall.
Finocchio earned an annual salary of $98,430.
The position will be posted on the SchoolSpring job search website and advertised in newspapers, Mazur said. Finalist visits will be scheduled for mid-June and the position should be filled by July 1, the first day of the 2017 fiscal year.
The original application deadline was April 22 and stated the school has 317 students and 85 professional and support staff, including a full-time assistant principal.