MIDDLEBURY — The UD-3 School Board will quickly turn its attention to finding a new principal for Middlebury Union Middle School in the wake of Patrick Reen’s selection as new superintendent of the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union (see story on here).
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Reen, a Bristol resident who spent six years as a sixth-grade teacher at Bristol Elementary School prior to accepting the job as MUMS associate principal in 2008. He was hired as principal of MUMS in 2012, following the resignation of Inga Duktig.
He will begin his duties at the helm of the ANeSU on July 1. The ANeSU includes Mount Abraham Union High School and the elementary schools in Bristol, New Haven, Starksboro, Monkton and Lincoln.
Reen said he will look back fondly on his years at MUMS.
“While I am very excited about the opportunity to return to work in ANeSU, it is bittersweet for me in many ways,” he said. “MUMS will always be the place where I got my start as an administrator. I have learned a great deal about teaching, learning and what it takes to be an effective leader from some remarkable staff members, teachers and administrators. I will certainly miss the many close relationships I have developed over the past eight years. Thankfully I am not going too far away. MUMS and ACSU are well-positioned to do some remarkable things for kids in the coming years and I look forward to seeing what they accomplish.”
Peter Conlon, chairman of the UD-3 board, had kind words for Reen and his performance.
“Patrick has had a great tenure at MUMS, and he will be missed,” Conlon said. “But his commitment to public education in Addison County will be of great benefit to our neighbors in Bristol.”
Meanwhile, ACSU has advertised the MUMS vacancy and will put together a search committee of staff, teachers and citizens to find Reen’s successor.
Peter Burrows, ACSU superintendent, will play a significant role in the search process. He said the search panel could recommend the appointment of an interim leader if a perfect fit can’t be found.
He wished Reen the best.
“Patrick has made a huge impact at MUMS and in the ACSU community, and we are excited that he will continue to inspire the educational community of Addison County in his new role as superintendent of ANeSU,” Burrows said. “We will really miss his leadership here, as he has proven throughout his career at MUMS that he is a student-centered, impassioned leader, colleague, and role model.”
Conlon is optimistic about the prospects of finding a new MUMS leader in a timely fashion.
“Fortunately, being principal of MUMS is a very attractive position and should bring in some great candidates,” Conlon said.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].