Finocchio Will Step down as Cummings School Principal: Accepts Position in Amherst

Bobbie Finocchio, principal of the Arthur T. Cummings Elementary School for the past three years, is resigning to accept a principal’s position at the Fort River Elementary School in Amherst, Mass.

Finocchio informed Cummings School parents of her decision in a letter Wednesday. She will spend her last day on the job in Winthrop on June 30 and begin in her new position on July 1.

Finocchio, 31, said it was “a personal decision not a professional decision” to leave the Winthrop school system and the town where she graduated from high school and starred for the Vikings sports teams.

“My inspiration to seek another position was based on my desire to relocate to western Massachusetts,” said Finocchio. “I love the western part of the state. It’s beautiful. That was the reason for my move. It was not a professional decision at all. It was a personal decision to relocate.”

According to a story in the Hampshire Gazette, Finocchio will receive a salary of $96,500 in her position in Amherst where she will lead a school of students in grades K-6. It is a slight salary increase from her principal’s job in Winthrop. Finocchio said the Amherst school system is also paying a larger portion of the costs of her doctoral work and allocating funds for her relocation to Amherst. She has signed a three-year contract.

Kathryn Mazur, director of human resources for Amherst, told the Hampshire Gazette, “During the interview process, Ms. Finocchio consistently and insightfully articulated her strong commitment to students and their achievement, to differentiated learning using innovative approaches, to collaborative leadership and progressive staff development.”

Finocchio was 29 years old when Superintendent of Schools John Macero appointed her as a principal of the Cummings School which house students in grades 3-Finocchio became one of the youngest school administrators in the area.

“I want to thank Mr. Macero for giving me the opportunity as a young, aspiring principal and giving me the chance,” said Finocchio. “I’m grateful to the community for its support and the incredible partnerships that have been built and the hard work that the teachers have showed over the years. There have been some amazing changes and a lot of hard work has been done.”

Finocchio is a graduate of Regis College. She holds Master’s degrees in Special Education from Regis College and Educational Leadership from Salem State University. She is currently pursuing her doctorat in Educational Administration at Boston College with an expected completion date of May, 2016.

She said she experienced a lot of emotions since accepting the new position and informing her faculty and staff at the Cummings.

“I’m very excited to move on to Amherst. “I’m nervous. I have all sorts of emotions. I feel sad to leave the Cummings students and teachers, the community as a whole, my family, and my friends. I’m also excited and looking forward to a new opportunity.”

(The Sun-Transcript interviewed Ms. Finocchio for this story. Some Information and quotes were taken from the Hampshire Gazette story about Ms. Finocchio’s appointment to the position).