In a unanimous vote, the Oppenheim-Ephratah St. Johnsville Board of Education officially appointed the current principal of Fonda-Fultonville High School as superintendent of schools during a board meeting Thursday night.
Patrick Michel, superintendent of Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES, announced last month that David Halloran would fill the position, but the board had yet to approve the decision. Halloran will assume the position May 18, and his contract will run through 2019, with an annual salary of $125,000.
Following the meeting, Halloran said he is excited to begin working in the district.
“There are challenges here like there are in any district, but I always enjoy challenges,” Halloran said. “It is evident that the people here really value their schools and are vocal about their opinions.”
In December 2012, voters in the Oppenheim-Ephratah and St. Johnsville school districts approved their merger after a contentious campaign. In January 2013, the Oppenheim-Ephratah board suspended that district’s superintendent, Dan Russom, without explanation. In May 2013, the new board of the soon-to-be-merged school district named Laura Lawrence, superintendent of the St. Johnsville district, to be superintendent of the new district.
Iin November 2013, however, the school board put her on paid administrative leave, and she resigned in April 2014 with a large contract buyout. The moves were never publicly explained.
In January 2014, the OESJ board appointed Thomas Gallagher acting superintendent. His appointment runs through July.
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