Date: Fri 11-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: JEFF

Quick Words:

schools-Sherlock-NMW

Full Text:

Board of Education Names A New Middle School Principal

BY JEFF WHITE

The Newtown Board of Education appointed Diane L. Sherlock to replace Les

Weintraub as Middle School principal at its meeting on Tuesday night.

Superintendent John Reed was enthusiastic about the school board's decision,

and said that he has never been more confident in recommending an applicant to

the board than he was with Ms Sherlock.

It was a long search, according to Dr Reed; the school board sifted through

the resumes of 34 candidates from "an unusually strong applicant pool."

In a closed executive session, the school board had its first opportunity to

meet with Ms Sherlock as a group, and following an hour-long interview,

unanimously named Ms Sherlock to the post.

"It's going to be wonderful," Ms Sherlock assured the school board. "You will

not regret it."

"We are bringing someone to the district who has already established herself

as an outstanding principal," Dr Reed said.

Indeed, Ms Sherlock's experience in educational leadership is vast. Over the

past five years, she has been acting principal at Highlands Middle School in

Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she chaired numerous organizations in that

district.

Ms Sherlock has also held an assistant principal's position at a middle school

in Greenville, Michigan.

"She has an acute sense of kids and their needs," Dr Reed said.

Ms Sherlock's career began in Wallingford, where she was a ninth grade English

teacher from 1969 through 1971. In the years that followed, she distinguished

herself as a counselor throughout school districts in New Jersey, Ohio, and

finally in Michigan, where she was named 1991 and 1992 counselor of the year

in Grand Rapids.

Ms Sherlock's many official titles only begin to tell the story of an educator

who has dedicated her career to the development of her students. She has

implemented preventive, three-pronged counseling programs, taught courses on

training for effective parenting, and authored M.A.G.I.C., an age-sensitive

education program for elementary students.

Ms Sherlock holds degrees in education from Western Michigan University and

William Patterson College, in New Jersey.

She is slated to take office a little more than a month from now, on July 12.

"She really enjoys working with people," said Dr Reed, "and she models it in

an enthusiastic fashion day in and day out."

Budget Cuts

In other business, the school board voted Tuesday night to approve additional

cuts to the proposed Board of Education 1999-2000 budget. In total, the board

still plans to cut $799,500 from the original budget allocation of

$34,369,579.

Approximately one half of the additional cuts are to come from the staff and

benefits category of the budget, which would normally cover such things as

education assistants, as well as custodial, maintenance, and technology

positions.

Amid the board's approval, some members were concerned about what the

additional cuts might portend for the district's financial situation next

year.

Chairperson Amy Dent expressed concern that the additional cuts were occurring

to areas that needed to remain unchanged from the original budget proposal. In

particular, she noted that $194,000 will be cut in the form of postponements

for site and building improvements "which will not go away."

Given the additional cuts, Mrs Dent feared that the district "will start off

next year almost half a million dollars in the hole before we blink."