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New school administrators appointed in Austintown
AUSTINTOWN
Austintown schools administrators have drafted a former Youngstown principal to lead the district’s elementary school.
Cathy Dorbish, the former William Holmes McGuffey Elementary School principal laid off by Youngstown City Schools, was appointed Austintown Elementary School principal during a special school board meeting this week. She is one of many new administrative appointments.
Dorbish, a 31-year principal, was one of 14 Youngstown schools employees whose jobs were lost during a reduction in force in June within the district. That month, faculty members who worked under Dorbish pleaded with the Youngstown school board for her reinstatement.
David Cappuzzello, the Austintown district’s newly hired superintendent, said Dorbish’s availability came at the right time, just as former Austintown Elementary principal Tim Kelty was shifted to high school principal during this week’s meeting.
Dorbish has “a great curriculum background. ... she knows what good teaching and learning is,” he said. “She also has those relationship-building skills. She knows how to run a building. She’s a great leader.”
Dorbish was one of many new hires or administrative transitions finalized during that school board meeting. Several of the administrators have already been long-active in their new roles, but those roles were only approved by the school board this week, Cappuzzello said.
Chris Berni, the former high school principal, was named director of pupil services.
Robin Vickers moved from Austintown Middle School assistant principal to head principal. Emily Guarnieri, who has a master’s degree from Concordia University, was hired as the school’s new assistant principal.
Sandra Thorndike, the district’s former K-5 assistant principal of continuous improvement, was named assistant principal at Austintown Intermediate School.
Janet Polish, the district’s former director of K-5 programs and instruction is now the district’s human resources director.
William Young was newly hired as the district’s director of curriculum, taking over from Berni.
Young has a doctorate from Walden University and joins with seven years of experience as curriculum and instruction supervisor at the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.
All administrators were given three-year contracts, set to expire in July 2022. Salary figures were not available late Friday.
Cappuzzello said the district is still narrowing searches for a special education director as well as for special education, science and math teachers, “and then we’re ready to roll, I believe.”
“When school’s ready to begin, we’re going to be ready to go, full of excitement,” he said. “We can’t wait to have Austintown be Austintown again.”