Amherst Schools Announce New Administrative Assignments For Fall 2023. Julio Fernandez Will Remain As Assistant Principal At Fort River

Source: Amherst Regional Public Schools

Acting School Superintendent Doug Slaughter announced new school district administrative assignments for fall 2023 in an email sent to the Amherst Regional Public Schools community on Monday July 10.

In a reversal of a previous assignment that would have brought Fort River Assistant Principal Julio Fernandez to the Amherst Regional Middle School (ARMS) to serve as an interim assistant principal, Fernandez will now remain at Fort River in his current role and will continue his support of the Caminantes dual language program. In recent weeks there has been a groundswell of protest from Fort River parents,  arguing that the loss of Fernandez at this time would be devastating to the Fort River Community and to Caminantes. Slaughter acknowledged the community’s concern as influential in keeping Fernandez in place at Fort River.

Slaughter also announced the following assignments.

Talib Sadiq will serve as Principal for both ARMS and Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) in the 2023-2024 school year as was previously announced.

Doreen Reid will join Richard Ferro in the role of Interim Assistant Principals at ARMS. Slaughter wrote of Reid, that she” brings outstanding strengths to the role, having built strong relationships at ARMS as a special education teacher for many years and as Interim Assistant Principal for two years.”

Chris Kusek will join the interim ARMS/ARHS leadership team as an Assistant Principal at ARHS along with current Assistant Principals Miki Gromacki and Samantha Camera. Slaughter wrote, “Kusek already has strong relationships and deep connections at ARHS, having served there as both a special education teacher and administrator, and he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role.”

Alicia Lopez, currently an ELL teacher at ARMS, will  serve as an interim assistant principal at Crocker Farm while  Assistant Principal Jennifer Smith remains on leave.  Slaughter wrote, “Lopez is a talented veteran teacher in the district who is a licensed administrator who has administrative experience in the district

 This new leadership configuration adds a third 1.0 Assistant Principal at ARHS next year to more equitably balance the administrative team based on each school’s enrollment.