Palmyra Board approves preschool hire, substitutes and club advisors

The Palmyra Board of Education on Oct. 8 approved personnel actions including the appointment of Lori Ricci to a preschool teacher position and several substitute and stipend appointments.

The board accepted the Superintendent's appointment of Lori Ricci as a preschool teacher (BA, Step 1) at a $61,042.00 annual salary pro-rated to an Oct. 6, 2025 start date, pending criminal-history background check and district employment paperwork. The board also approved Victoria Boothroyd and Renee Thorn as substitute teachers (pending required checks and certifications where noted).

Stipend and advisor actions included appointing Laurel Deming as Volleyball Club Advisor (stipend per the collective bargaining agreement), accepting a resignation from a CSS Student Council advisor (Jacqueline Gaffney) and appointing Travis DiMartino to that student council advisor stipend position. The minutes indicate these personnel actions were approved as part of the personnel agenda for PreK-8 and district staffing.

Why it matters: Personnel changes affect classroom coverage, extracurricular programming and preschool staffing. The preschool hire addresses early-education staffing needs; the substitute approvals and stipend appointments maintain continuity for student activities and clubs.

Next steps and conditions: Several approvals are contingent on pending criminal-history background checks and completion of district employment paperwork, as specified in the agenda. The minutes do not list individual vote tallies for these personnel items.

Documentation: The personnel approvals appear under items 14.01f'h and 16.01 in the Oct. 8 meeting minutes.