Board Hires Jan Saam as New Principal of Naugatuck High School

The Board of Education voted unanimously Monday evening to hire Associate Principal Jan Saam to fill the position of principal of Naugatuck High School for the next school year.

“She’s a terrific educator and a terrific leader for our school,” Chairman David Heller said following the vote at 9:20 p.m.

Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson said he was “delighted” to present Saam as an “outstanding applicant” for principal to the full board. The board had met with Saam in executive session for an interview, which started around 7:45 p.m. just after the Naugatuck High School graduation.

Saam will be replacing Fran Serratore, a veteran educator in Naugatuck who is retiring this year. According to Heller, she will be paid a salary of just over $132,000, which is over $6,000 more than .

Saam will begin the job July 1, Heller said. While not the only applicant - three other people applied for the job - Saam was the only internal applicant, the chairman said.

Saam told Patch she is “honored” and “privileged for being given the opportunity to take on the principal role at the high school.

“I’m very much looking forward to leading the faculty and staff,” she said.

Board member Dorothy Neth-Kunin said the board felt Saam was the best candidate because of her background, experience and the fact that she is “well rounded.”

“She pretty much knows all of the aspects of the school and is really very hands-on with everything that needs to be done,” Neth-Kunin said.

Board member Debbie Brackett said she worked as a parent with Saam over the past 10 years, and that Saam has “always been responsive and knows what she’s talking about.”

“She’s always putting out there what an awesome place Naugatuck High School is,”  Brackett said.

Mayor Robert A. Mezzo, a member of the board, abstained from the interview and the vote. He said he did this because of reasons of conflict of interest, being that his wife, Eileen Mezzo, is a school administrator.

Editor's Note: A previous posting of this article contained an error. It stated the executive session ended at 8:20 p.m. when it really ended at 9:20 p.m. This has since been corrected.