Pelham UFSD opens search for Siwan High School principal after Fareed Johnson resignation; board approves travel policy and routine year-end items

PELHAM, N.Y. — The Pelham Union Free School District Board of Education on June 30 accepted the resignation of Fareed Johnson as principal of Siwan High School and authorized a district-led search for his replacement, the board said during a brief, end-of-year business meeting.

The board named Susan Kramer Gilbert to continue as interim principal while the district conducts a multi-step hiring process described by Dr. Fitzgerald, who told the board the district will prioritize community input and aims to have a permanent principal in place as close to the start of the school year as possible. Dr. Fitzgerald said the process will include a leadership profile developed from a stakeholder survey, focus groups with families and staff, candidate tasks, and stakeholder interviews before cabinet and board review. She said the district will send a communication and the stakeholder survey to Siwan families and staff the next morning so data collection can begin quickly.

The changes follow routine end-of-year business. The board approved minutes and other consent-agenda items, extended vendor and service arrangements, updated building-use fees tied to the Consumer Price Index and authorized disposal of…