Board Of Education Approves New NHS Principal

By Martha Coville

In the wake of the recent election, the Board of Education said good-bye to outgoing members on Tuesday, November 20, and welcomed Charles Dumais as the new principal at Newtown High School.

Two board members, Andrew Buzzi and Paul Mangiafico, took their leave of the board. Paul Mangiafico, a Republican, has served a single four-year term on the board, and will be joining the Board of Selectmen.

Mr Buzzi was chairperson of the building and site committee when Reed Intermediate School was built. He elicited laughter from the board and the public when he explained how excited his three children were that this was his last evening meeting, and said they were his “three reasons” for not seeking reelection. “I feel it’s really important that everyone have a turn at community service,” he said, and finished with an endorsement of the schools’ faculty members. “I’ve spent so much time with administrators and teachers and we are really lucky to have such professionals,” he said.  “They really make the town what it is.”

Board Chairman Elaine McClure introduced incoming Newtown High School Principal Charles “Chip” Dumais to the public. Mr Dumais was selected from a pool of 20 applicants during a long interview process that began in August, and ended during the executive session preceding the public board meeting. After meeting privately with Mr Dumais, the board gave him an opportunity to address the public during the open meeting, and approved his nomination unanimously.

Interim Superintendent Thomas Jokubaitis explained that the school district began its hiring process by soliciting nominations from officials in other districts. They also accepted applications from qualified applicants. They narrowed the field from 20 applicants to nine. These candidates were interviewed by a committee of Newtown board of education members, teachers, school administrators, staff from the district’s central office, and parents and students. Superintendent-elect Dr Janet Robinson also met with candidates, and helped in the selection process. Finally, after several rounds of formal interviews, Mr Dumais was nominated before the board of education last night.

Dr Jokubaitis said Mr Dumais’s personable manner and “impeccable references” distinguished him from other candidates. He is currently an assistant principle at Staples High School in Westport. He will bring experience managing all “educational aspects” of an $80 million building project at Staples High School to the soon-to-be-renovated Newtown High School.

Dr Jokubaitis also said that Mr Dumais’s “ability to work with people, to work extremely well with people, was documented in a number of sources,” and that he personally was impressed by Mr Dumais’ “ability to respond to various situations presented to him.”

In his comments to the board, Mr Dumais said his job search was “not [a] quest to be a principal anywhere. It was really to be at Newtown. It was the school, the town, the community here,” that attracted him.

Mr Dumais has been an assistant principal at Staples High School in Westport for the last three years. Previously, he worked as a math and science teacher and department chair in Trumbull and Darien public schools, at Regional District 17 in Higganum, and at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford. His holds a BS and MS in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a sixth-year Certificate from Southern Connecticut State University. He also participated in an Executive Leadership Program at the NEAG School of Education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

In other business, the Board of Education reviewed the superintendent’s report and district business manager Ron Bienkowski’s financial report. Superintendent Jokubaitis reviewed enrollment projections commissioned by the board from Dr Peter Prowda. His projections differ significantly from data presented to the board in previous years; they predict that, rather than continuing to grow rapidly, school populations will remain relatively stable over the next ten years.

Reports forecasting increased enrollment had been prepared by statistician Bruce Bothwell, who has recently retired. But Dr Jokubaitis and board member elect Lillian Bittman expressed concern that Dr Prowda’s lowered projections might have been made without a full understanding of the dynamics at work in town. For example, Dr Jokubaitis said that Dr Prowda was unaware that there are currently 360 houses for sale in Newtown. He said the depression in the real estate market could potentially lure more families with young children to town, as they would be attracted by lower housing costs. 

Ms Bittman said that even if Dr Prowda’s projections are accurate, they should not be used as an argument against the high school or proposed middle school expansion. She said, “Dr Prowda believes enrollment will drop over the next ten years. But even with this decline, [Dr Prowda predicts] that Newtown High School will only have 55 more students in 2017 than it does now.” Essentially, she said, “In 2017 we’ll still be in same boat we’re in now.”

The board agreed to reexamine Dr Prowda’s numbers, and to seek a second opinion from Mr Bothwell.

Finally, the board unanimously agreed to approve the district business manager’s revisions to the Capital Improvement Plan for the middle school, which included projections for the proposed renovations. Mr Bienkowski separated the cost of replacing the school’s leaky roof from the proposed renovation, which means that necessary work can begin on the roof whether or not the proposed renovation is approved.