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The school board voted to support Superintendent Karen Baldwin's recommendation for to hire Joanna Genovese, according to a statement from the district.
Genovese is currently principal of the Henry Barnard Early Childhood Center in New Rochelle, N.Y., and was previously principal at Weston Elementary School for eight years.
"Joanna's breadth of experience in early childhood and elementary education is a perfect fit for Ridgefield Public Schools," said Baldwin.
"Ms. Genovese is a community builder with a passion for working with children and families. She is an excellent match for our Scotland community, and I'm thrilled to welcome her to the leadership team in Ridgefield."
The district expects Genovese to start in her new role on or around Sept. 1.
Genovese’s skills and background in "building a positive school climate and creating strong learning communities impressed both the search committee and the board," the statement said.
In New Rochelle, she led several initiatives that improved school climate, with focus on communication, professional learning, and inclusive practices. Her career is characterized as a "visionary instructional leader."
She has collaborated with teachers and district leaders to create a learning plan to assist teachers in meeting the demands of the Core Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. "She has worked to strengthen the continuum of services for children with special needs in her school and engaged staff in training for a co-teaching model of instruction between special education and general education teachers," the statement said. "In all of these efforts Mrs. Genovese has developed a true partnership with parents and valued the important contribution of families in the life of the school."
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