Woonsocket School Committee Appoints New Leaders at WMS, Pothier Schools

The Woonsocket School Committee approved new school administrators for Pothier Elementary and the Middle School during their Aug. 14 meeting. 

Celeste Conti, an elementary school teacher in a number of Woonsocket Schools, will be the new principal at Pothier Middle School at a salary of $82,000 and WMS science teacher Elizabeth McGuire will be the new assistant principal at Woonsocket Middle School, at a salary of $79,639. 

The appointments were approved by the Woonsocket Budget Commission during their Monday afternoon meeting earlier that week. At that meeting, Commission member and City Council President John Ward said former Pothier Middle School Principal Donna Raptakis, also briefly the principal of Coleman Elementary, resigned. 

Though the Budget Commission had already approved the appointments and salaries, School Committeeman Chris Roberts had misgivings about approving a significant raise for McGuire (No relation to School Committee Member Anita McGuire-Forcier), currently a science teacher at the Middle School, according to a recording of the meeting posted to MyWoonsocket.com.

"I'm not necessarily comfortable with a $25,000 raise," said Roberts.

"I don't have an issue with the salary," said Chairman Vimala Phongsavanh. She said responsibility for the middle school and its students and other factors play into the vice principal's salary.

Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan said the salary is the same as that earned by the former vice principal, Robert Picard (who has since been appointed principal at Bernon Heights) for the last three years. Also, leading a middle school, "...is a tremendous responsibility," Donoyan said.

McGuire's appointment and salary were approved by the School Committee, with Roberts voting against. Conti's appointment was also approved.

The Woonsocket Budget Commission had also approved the appointment of Angela Holt to be the new principal for Coleman Middle School, at a salary of $82,000, but that appointment was not voted on during the School Committee meeting.