Windham Taps Winfried Feneberg as New Superintendent

The new SAU 95 officially has its first superintendent, and that person is Winfried Feneberg.

One of two finalists for the Windham position, Feneberg has received a three-year contract with an annual salary of $131,500. The Windham School Board voted 5-0 to ratify that contract on Feb. 5.

Board member Dr. Jerome Rekart, who has served as the lead during the superintendent search, praised Feneberg for his experience and leadership strategy.

"We are very excited to have Mr. Feneberg join us," Rekart said. "He is an expert in terms of special education, he has a background in school psychology (and) he has a breadth of knowledge in terms of education in general."

According to a general statement released by the school board, Feneberg will work with Superintendent Dr. Henry LaBranche for a few months under SAU 28 before taking over the lead role on July 1, 2013.

Feneberg expressed excitement to lead SAU 95, and praised the thoroughness of the search process.

"Overall I'm very pleased with how thorough the board has worked," he said. "There was no rushing the process."

The three-month vetting included interviews conducted by a community screening committee, the school board and both district administrators and staff. A public forum, dozens of phone interviews and a visit to Feneberg's home district also took place.

Feneberg is coming to town from SAU 55, which is comprised of the Timberlane and Hampstead School Districts. He has served there as the assistant superintendent since 2007.

Previously he was the Director of Special Education for Hampstead from 2003-2007, the Associate Director of Pupil Personnel Services from 1998-2003, and the School Psychologist for the Timberlane School District.

Feneberg holds a M.Ed. from the University of Munich in School Psychology and English and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) from Northeastern University.

Given his extensive educational background, he also marveled at the quality of the Windham schools.

"I'm just continuously impressed with the quality of education here," he said. "This was one of the big draws. It's exciting to start a new SAU, and I wanted to see myself in a position where I serve in a community that is very supportive of education."

In its written statement, the school board also thanked LaBranche for his 40 years of service in New Hampshire, extending wishes for a "peaceful and well-deserved retirement."

School Board Chairman Dr. Bruce Anderson also thanked the second finalist, Dr. Richard Bergeron.

"It's a growing process – he's obviously a very qualified candidate – it's all about trying to find the best fit," Anderson said.

The school board agreed to move forward with Feneberg's contract negotiations during a non-public meeting on Jan. 22. The minutes of that meeting have now been unsealed by the board.