11 Assistant Principals For Special Education Appointed In Stamford Public Schools

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford Public Schools has named 11 assistant principals for special education, filling positions approved in the district’s fiscal year 2026 budget and aimed at strengthening support for students with disabilities across the district.

Nine of the appointees are current Stamford educators or related services staff being promoted into administrative roles.

The newly appointed assistant principals will be tasked with overseeing special education teachers, paraeducators, and related services staff at their assigned schools. Their responsibilities will include instructional leadership, professional development, case management, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local special education requirements.

Each administrator will report to their respective school principals and the district’s director of special education and related services.

The new appointments and their school assignments for the 2025–26 academic year are:

• Catherine Albrecht*: Stamford High School
• Lee-Ann Baranowski*: Cloonan Middle School and Roxbury Elementary School
• Dr. Rachel Bria*: Turn of River Middle School and SPS Anchor
• Tim Foley*: Rogers International
• Dr. Emily Krol*: Dolan Middle School and Springdale Elementary School
• Michael Macchio*: Julia A. Stark Elementary and Newfield Elementary
• Brie O’Bryan*: Northeast Elementary and Scofield Magnet Middle School
• Amy Ofiero*: Toquam Magnet Elementary, K.T. Murphy Elementary, and Out-of-District Placements
• Christie Robinson: Academy of Information Technology and Engineering (AITE) and Rippowam Middle School
• Oraina Simmons: Westhill High School
• Dr. Rachael Wiggins*: Stillmeadow Elementary

(*Indicates current SPS teacher leaders or service providers promoted to administrator roles.)

Full bios of the appointees can be found on the SPS website.

In addition to the new hires, three schools already had assistant principals managing special education responsibilities: Jeffrey Bianco at Strawberry Hill School; Marshell Medley, who is moving from Stillmeadow Elementary to Davenport Ridge and Hart Elementary; and Kathleen Quaglino at Westover Magnet K–7.

The appointees come in response to growing special education needs, district officials noted. In the 2024–25 school year, more than 17 percent of Stamford’s PreK–12 students qualified for special education and related services—an increase from about 12 percent in 2015–16. Of the 2,824 SPS students with disabilities, 94 percent were educated within district schools, according to SPS.

Stamford recorded the highest student-to-administrator ratio (165.9-to-1) and special education student-to-administrator ratio (26.6-to-1) in lower Fairfield County in 2024–25.

With the addition of these new positions, those ratios are expected to drop to 150.4-to-1 and 24.1-to-1, respectively, though they remain among the highest in the region.