NORTHFIELD — As we’ve moved into the fall sporting calendar at Pioneer Valley Regional School, the search to fill the district’s vacant athletic director position continued this week.
The Pioneer Valley Regional School Committee is holding ongoing conversations pertaining to the contract for its AD position as it considers hiring a candidate from outside its current faculty.
“We have a candidate, but we’re also still recruiting,” Interim Superintendent Patricia Kinsella said Friday.
School committee members explained during a Sept. 9 meeting that the way the current Memorandum of Understanding for the athletic director position is written, it is as if the person filling the role is also a current faculty member. With the potential of hiring a candidate who is not currently employed by the district, the school committee, teachers’ union and negotiation subcommittee are continuing to discuss proper language for the agreement.
“In order to be able to hire from outside the district, we need to change some of the language,” Kinsella said. “We need to cover our bases, because we don’t have a faculty member who is able to step up for the role right now.”
The hiring process is being led by Pioneer Principal Kevin Burke, who has been filling the AD responsibilities in the interim. While negotiations and language changes are still ongoing, Kinsella said the district may be in a position to hire someone for the role by the end of this month. The negotiation subcommittee will meet Tuesday, and discussion on the Athletic Director MOU is included on the agenda.
The district’s search for a new athletic director began this summer, after the resignation of Ernest Abramian who had filled the position for a year after former AD Gina Johnson was removed from the role by former Superintendent Jonathan Scagel in fall 2019. Johnson remained as a physical education instructor and in June 2020, the Pioneer Valley Regional School District and the Pioneer Valley Regional Education Association reached a settlement regarding Johnson’s grievance alleging wrongful termination from the position of athletic director.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.