ATHOL — Steven Meyer starts a new job Friday. But he won’t have to pack his belongings to make the transition.
After two years as assistant superintendent of the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, Meyer is set to replace retiring Superintendent Anthony Polito at the end of the fiscal year.
Meyer, 36, said this is an exciting time to be superintendent, as a new elementary school is slated to open this fall and the district has been awarded a five-year, $1.2 million school redesign grant.
“A lot of my summer is going to be spent trying to navigate that whole process — closing down the elementary school buildings that we’re leaving, cleaning those out,” he said. “Everything looks ready to go, but we need to make sure we get everything in there. It’s going to be busy a summer.”
The Pleasant Street, Riverbend and Sanders Street schools will be consolidated into Athol Community Elementary School, behind Athol-Royalston Middle School.
The $1.2 million grant comes from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Meyer said most of the money will be used to employ a few academic interventionists, a behavioral analyst and a director of elementary curriculum. Meyer said academic interventionists will work in small groups with students to improve reading and math skills in kindergarten through fourth grade, while a behavioral analyst provides support to students and develops behavioral assessments as necessary. He said every school uses behavioral specialists.
Meyer said the elementary curriculum director, a position that will be funded for two years, will ensure the curriculum of the three closing schools is properly aligned and that the transition goes smoothly.
A western Pennsylvania native, Meyer has worked in education for about 15 years. He said he has a doctorate in education, a master’s degree in mathematics for educators and a master’s in education and organizational management. Before moving to the Athol district, he taught math and served as a math department chairman in Clinton before working as an assistant principal and then principal in Winchendon.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 258. On Twitter: @DomenicPoli