A Changing of the School Chiefs for Region 13

The first Board of Education meeting of 2014 marked the official start for a new superintendent in Regional School District 13 — and a farewell to an outgoing one.

The board on Wednesday welcomed Superintendent Kathryn Veronesi to her first official meeting since assuming her role as school chief on Jan. 1. 

Veronesi, who had visited the board during a monthly last fall shortly after being hired, had already been in the process of transitioning from her previous school administrator jobs in Marlborough and Hebron.

"Everyone has been gracious and professional," she said about her first few days being on full-time. "I've received a very warm welcome."

In the midst of transitioning into the new job, she noted that she's spent the past several days "learning all about calling snow days and delays."

Veronesi, who is being paid a base salary of $155,000, was selected out of a pool of 21 candidates following a superintendent search process that began last Summer. She has worked in multiple school districts in eastern and Central Connecticut, including Plainville, East Haddam, Middletown and Cheshire. 

Veronesi is taking over for outgoing interim Superintendent Ernest Perlini. Perlini took over as a per-diem administrator for the Durham and Middlefield district after former school chief Susan Vaccaro resigned last summer to take a job in another district.

On Wednesday, she mentioned Perlini and how she has been "so grateful" he has stayed on and helped during these transitioning weeks.

Toward the end of the meeting, Perlini took a moment to thank each of the board members and to praise Region 13 as a whole for being a "district that has potential to be rated No. 1."

He remarked that, when he came on in June, he was impressed with how well the district's administrators, staff and teachers worked together in accomplishing tasks, a notable one being re-accreditation.

"Overall, you have a great school district," he said. "I am at a point right now where, if I were looking for a job, I would apply here. This district is moving forward."