SAU 106 names first superintendent

Genevieve DiNatale, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

Feb. 24—PLAISTOW — The Timberlane Regional School Board has hired School Administrative Unit 55's interim superintended to be the first superintendent for the newly formed SAU 106.

Dr. Brian Cochrane will take the helm in July, after serving in the interim position since the departure of former SAU 55 Superintendent Earl Metzler.

"We believe Dr. Cochrane is a good fit for the work ahead and we feel his expertise as a proven educational leader will serve the school district and its new SAU well over the next three years," SAU 55 Board Chair Kimberly Farah said in a statement posted to Timberlane.net's blog Feb. 23.

Last March, Timberlane voters — spanning Plaistow, Atkinson, Sandown and Danville — approved a plan to withdraw from SAU 55 effective July 1, 2021.

Timberlane and Hampstead have historically shared the same SAU, meaning business services, administrative leadership, and human resources, but that shared history is coming to an end.

Now, all four of the Timberlane communities will become part of the newly formed SAU 106.

Metzler resigned amid a series of controversies, which led to him suing SAU 55 for more than $100,000 in compensation of overtime and unused vacation days he said he was owed. The lawsuit is still pending in Rockingham County Superior Court.

Following his resignation, Metzler quickly started work as executive consultant to the Hampstead School District, a position he continues to hold.

The Superintendent Search Committee selected Cochrane from 20 candidates. Members hosted a candidates' forum available for public viewing Feb. 9. That was followed up with individual interviews with the School Board during a nonpublic session Feb. 10.

"Dr. Cochrane's extensive work in competency-based curriculum, instruction and assessment; his track record in strategic planning and budget development; and his prior superintendent experiences were areas of significant strengths that align well with the work ahead," reads the Feb. 23 statement.

Cochrane has a history of experience working in public education as both a teacher and administrator in the United States and Canada.

Before becoming interim superintendent, Cochran served as assistant superintendent of the Nashua School District. He also was superintendent in the Litchfield and Barnstead school districts.

Earlier in his career, Cochrane was a teacher and later curriculum facilitator in the Halifax Regional School District and held curriculum administrative positions in the Nova Scotia Department of Education.