Four New Principals Named

A former literacy coach is returning to the Edgewood School, and a bilingual newcomer will join John C. Daniels School, as the district picked replacements for outgoing principals with plenty of time before the new academic year begins.

The school board approved hiring four new principals in all at its regular meeting Monday at 54 Meadow St.

Raeanne Reynolds (pictured with daughter Emma Rae) will now have two full months to prepare for her new job as principal at Edgewood. She replaces Bonnie Pachesa, one of two star principals who are leaving the district after decades spent transforming their schools.

Edith Johnson, who spent the last year as an assistant principal at Fair Haven School, will replace Gina Wells, the longtime principal at John C. Daniels. Leaders were also picked for Sound School and Hill Regional Career High. That leaves one school left without a principal for next year: East Rock Community Magnet.

The picks came through a new process that aimed to involve parents and teachers and give new leaders plenty of time to prepare before the fall.

Schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo said the decision to pick Reynolds came to him in an ​“aha!” moment in the middle of the night.

Pachesa’s departure from Edgewood left some parents fraught over the future of their school. They successfully lobbied to have three parents sit on an interviewing panel along with three teachers, the assistant principal and Pachesa herself. The panel wanted to make sure new leadership would preserve the school’s commitment to visual literacy and the arts. The panel interviewed four candidates and ​“overwhelmingly” chose Reynolds, in part because she supported those priorities, according to Pachesa.

“They could just feel that she kind of fit with the school,” Pachesa said.

Reynolds, who spent four years at Edgewood as a full-time literacy coach six years ago, has 20 years’ experience in the district. Her job carries a salary of $125,102.

Johnson (pictured), who’s 34, arrives at Daniels as a fresh face. Before working at Fair Haven School last year, she spent eight years in Montgomery County, Maryland, as a teacher and assistant principal. She said she was attracted to Daniels in part because of its dual language program. Johnson’s parents hail from Puerto Rico; she grew up in Westchester County, New York.

Principal Johnson, who has 10 years’ experience in education, will earn $126,818. Her husband, Joseph Johnson, hails from New Haven. He proclaimed himself a proud graduate of James Hillhouse High School class of 1994.

Rebecca Gratz (pictured with daughter Danielle), a history teacher at Sound School Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center, will take over as principal as part of a long-premeditated leadership transition. The school’s principal, Steven Pynn, is moving on after 14 years to take over a vo-tech high school the city is planning along with Gateway Community College.

Gratz has spent the last four months as acting principal, and years preparing for the move. After moving to New Haven to enroll in Yale’s forestry school, she started teaching at the marine-themed magnet school 14 years ago and never left.

The school rates in the top Tier I category under the district’s rankings. It has the highest test scores in the district, Superintendent Mayo noted Monday.

Gratz said the school is aiming higher. Despite the high scores overall, ​“there are still students who we are not reaching,” she said. ​“That, to us, is unacceptable.” She said the school will launch a teacher-led training program next year with strategies for engaging kids.

Her post carries a $118,188 salary.

Madeline Negron (pictured) will take over as principal of Hill Regional Career High School with a salary of $137,736. She has 17 years of experience in education and a PhD, according to personnel records.

Andy Wight, who teaches math at Career, sat on a panel of teachers, administrators and parents who conducted interviews for the open job.

This year is ​“the first time I’ve seen such a well-defined process for selecting a new principal,” Wight said. He stood in support: ​“We’re delighted that Dr. Negron will be joining us as our principal.”

All four principals start work on July 1. The original plan called for all new principals to be freed of their duties from June 4 to 30 so they could begin work at their new assignments. Aside from Gratz, that didn’t happen, but the new leaders said they will still have the chance to meet with outgoing principals and get a healthy head-start on next year.

The board also ended a year-and-half-long search for a director of human resources and labor relations. James Prunty (pictured) will fill the job left vacant by Andrea Lobo-Wadley. He’ll earn a salary of $125,000 beginning Tuesday.

Prunty, who’s 47, has 14 years of experience in human resources in the education field. Most recently, he worked at the Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services in New York. He lives in Bethel, Conn. Applauded for his tech expertise, he said he has some quick fixes in mind for streamlining HR processes.

“I’ll have my ears open, find out what’s working and what isn’t, and play that as it comes,” he said. In brief remarks to the board, he offered an outsider’s take: ​“there is an energy in this district that I have never felt before. You can really feel that people take care of each other in this district — it’s going to be a pleasure working with you.”