CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Two local principals and a Vermont superintendent have been chosen as finalists for the post of superintendent of schools in the North Berkshire School Union.

 

The superintendent search committee selected Vermont's Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union Superintendent William Bazyk, Florida's Abbot Memorial School Principal Heidi Dugal and North Adams' Brayton Elementary School Principal John Franzoni from among five candidates interviewed last week. 

 

Ellen Babcock Miller, chairman of the search committee, said in her letter to the School Committee that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees had done a preliminary review of candidates and offered seven applicants to interview. The search committee voted to interview five of those over May 10, 15 and 16. Patricia Correira, a field director for the MASC, has been facilitating the search as she has the past two times the school union searched for a leader.

 

"Pat Correira has notified all the finalists that she will contact them regarding site visit dates after those decisions have been made at [Tuesday's] meeting," Miller wrote.

 

The School Union 43 — comprised of the elementary school districts of Clarksburg, the town of Florida, Monroe, Rowe and Savoy — began its search for a replacement for Jon Lev in April. Lev, 67, is retiring at the end of the school year after nearly a decade as superintendent. He had previously been the school union's director of special education.

 

Dugal has been principal of two schools in the union: Abbott Memorial and Emma Miller School in Savoy. She is a graduate of North Adams State College (now MCLA), earning both bachelors of science and of art, and holds her master of education from Cambridge College. Her times as principal at the small schools also included teaching and Title 1. She has been principal of Abbott for the past nine years. 

 

Franzoni has been principal of Brayton Elementary since 2013. Prior to that, he was assistant principal and dean of students at Greylock Elementary and the former Sullivan Elementary in North Adams. He is a graduate of Bryant University in Rhode Island and earned his master of education from Fitchburg State College. Franzoni was also the athletic director at Drury High School for six years and a basketball coach. 

 

Bazyk most recently was a finalist for superintendent of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, which chose a Pittsfield principal, Taconic's John Vosburgh. Bazyk's current supervisory union encompasses the towns of Arlington and Sandgate and two schools, Arlington Memorial High School and Fisher Elementary School. A graduate of Westfield College, he holds his master of education from American International College in Springfield, and has a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. He was previously director of pupil services for the Greenfield Public Schools. 

 

The candidate chosen by the North Berkshire School Union School Committee will deal with six school committees (two in Franklin County) and four schools (one Franklin County). Also on the new superintendent's plate will be the proposed interstate merger of Clarksburg with the Stamford (Vt.) Elementary School District.  

 

School officials hope to have a new superintendent in place by July 1.

 

"I would like to thank the search committee for their dedication throughout this process. The members spent many hours developing the interview format and questions, reviewing applications, and interviewing the five preliminary candidates," Miller wrote. "The committee represented NBSU 43 in a highly professional manner. The finalists have been contacted and are enthusiastic about continuing in the process."