Kostan re-posts Lynn health position

LYNN-Superintendent Nicholas Kostan is still looking to hire a director of health curriculum to his administrative team, but was forced to re-post the position this week.Kostan told the School Committee Wednesday night that he would be re-wording the posting this time around, and hoped to garner more interest and bring someone in within a few weeks.Initially, the superintendent was hoping to hire someone with certification in both health and physical education. But he was unable to find the right fit for the job this summer, and decided the best plan of action was to re-post the position with slightly different requirements.Applicants now are required to have certification in only one of those two subjects.Kostan is also looking to fill the role of technology director on his staff, and told the committee that decision would come soon, possibly in time for the next meeting in two weeks.The two hires will round out Kostan’s staff and complete a transformation of his curriculum team brought on by a slew of retirements following the 2007-1008 school year.New Director of Science Curriculum John Richardson and Director of Math Curriculum Shirley Albert were in attendance Wednesday and accepted appointments to their new positions.Kostan also announced Wednesday that he was forced to post a job opening for one vice principal position at Breed Middle School when former Vice Principal Robert Frodema abruptly and unexpectedly announced his retirement in late August.Frodema served as interim principal last year when Kostan transferred James Ridley to the Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute in February, but was passed up for the position in June in favor of fellow Vice Principal Fred Dupuis.Kostan told the committee that Frodema’s retirement was unexpected and came very late in the summer and that the vice principal made the decision effective June 30, so he left the job immediately.In the interim, technology education teacher Michael Quinn will serve as acting vice principal until the job has been properly posted.Quinn will serve as the second vice principal, joining Kenneth Curtis, who was hired this summer to replace Dupuis when he was promoted to the principal position.Kostan provided the School Committee with a list of 24 teacher resignations from this summer, prompting some on the board to question such a high number.The Superintendent said many of the teachers informed him that they were leaving to take jobs closer to their homes in other communities due to high gas prices, and several others left to take positions in smaller, wealthier communities.