WHS Principal Don Macrino Announces Retirement

At their meeting Thursday night, the Board of Education accepted Waterford High School Principal Don Macrino’s retirement, although moved to keep him as principal for another year.

Macrino has qualified for his full retirement benefit, which pays him 75 percent of the average of his last three years' salary, and will retire and begin to collect that benefit, according to Superintendent Jerome Belair and Macrino’s contract. But since the position has been designated an area of shortage by the Department of Education, Macrino will be hired by Waterford at his expected salary for next year, according to a press release by Belair.

“Don needs to take advantage of his retirement,” Belair said. Belair added in the press release that he still wanted Macrino as principal of Waterford High School for next year , and students will move into the new section in April 2013.

“It became clear to me that the Waterford High School renovation project is in a critical stage and the transition to the new school will benefit from Don at the helm,” Belair said in the press release. “The staff, students and parents have come to depend on him and have benefited from his leadership throughout the years.”

“It is my desire to have (Macrino) facilitate the move and lead our high school students and staff into the new Waterford High School,” Belair said. “Waterford needs him next year.”

Hiring A New Principal

Macrino has been in education for 39 years, has been in the Waterford School District for 19 years and has been the principal of Waterford High School for 16 years. He will stay on for all of next year, Belair said.

This will give Waterford plenty of time to search for a replacement for Macrino for the following year, Board of Education Chairwoman Kathleen McCarty said. Belair said he hopes to have somebody hired and on-board while Macrino is still around, so Macrino can help with the transition.

“The optimal time of year to initiate an administrative search is in the late fall and early winter,” McCarty said in a press release. “It is important that we attract the very best instructional leader to succeed (Macrino).”