Massena Central searching for junior high principal, school resource officer

Bob Beckstead, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Jun. 27—MASSENA — Several personnel searches are underway in the Massena Central School District, and among them are junior high principal and school resource officer.

Applications are due by July 12 for the principal position at J.W. Leary Junior High School, and applications were due last Friday for a school resource officer.

Amanda J. Zullo has served as the junior high principal since October 2020. She took over for Alan C. Oliver, who took over as principal at Massena Central High School following the retirement of Sarah L. Boyce. Evelyn M. Fiske had stepped out of retirement on a temporary basis to replace Mr. Oliver at the junior high until Ms. Zullo arrived.

Prior to taking over at the junior high, Ms. Zullo served as coordinator of assessment and planning at Champlain Valley Educational Services.

The district is also working with the village of Massena in the search for a school resource officer. They're seeking an active or retired officer from a local, state or federal police agency to serve as a special patrol officer within the district. Those interested were asked to complete an application and submit that with a resume and three letters of recommendation by last Friday.

The district and village approved an intermunicipal agreement earlier this year. The salary is in the $38,600 range, which includes insurance as well as some additional costs for equipment. The position was included in the school district's 2022-23 budget. The individual will have an office at J.W. Leary.

Massena Central and the village previously worked jointly on bringing an SRO back to the district through an annual agreement. The district was seeking an active or retired officer to serve as a special patrol officer.

Jody W. Daggett worked from the beginning of the 2019-20 school year until the school closed in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing potential liability, village officials opted not to renew the contract. Although Mr. Daggett worked in the Massena Central School District, he was a member of the Massena Police Department. The village was responsible for setting up the training of the SRO, overseeing the person's work and purchasing the equipment that was needed for the job. Salary and benefits were paid for through a Title 4 grant.

Prior to that, the district had another SRO — then-patrolman Patrick J. Serguson, whose salary was paid by both the school and the village. That position was abolished in 2007 because the village and school district no longer had the funding to sustain it.

Village trustees had approved the intermunicipal agreement prior to its approval by the school board. Trustee Francis J. Carvel cast the lone no vote during the village board meeting, citing the potential for liability to the village since the SRO would be a village employee.

Under the resolution passed by trustees, the district would receive the services of an SRO "to promote the goal of ensuring a caring, safe, respectful, and orderly learning environment in its schools" for the period July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.