The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Thomas DiGanci, former principal at Watching Hills Regional High School, was named Franklin High School’s interim principal at the July 31 Board of Education meeting.
DiGanci is expected to start in his new position on Aug. 11, according to a release from the district. His appointment runs through June 30, 2015.
DiGanci will be paid $147,000, the same amount as former high school principal James Bevere, said Brian Bonanno, the district’s manager of administrative services.
Interim schools Superintendent Lee Seitz said the board decided that rather than immediately seek a permanent principal, it would be better to fill the spot with an interim.
“We decided that for the next year, he would be an excellent interim,” Seitz said.
A more than 40-year educational veteran, DiGanci “brings a wealth of experience” to the district, Seitz said.
“It’s clear that he understands and knows the role and responsibilities of a principal,” Seitz said. “He has committed himself to be visible.”
“I am committed to meeting and listening to the staff, students, parents and guardians of Franklin High School and look forward to learning about the culture of the school,” DiGanci said in the release.
DiGanci retired from Watchung Hills Regional in 2012 after 40 years in the district. All but seven of those years – when he was principal at Valley View School in Watchung – were spent in the regional district. He has held several other interim positions since his retirement.
DiGanci takes over the interim role from Orvyl Wilson, the district’s director of school management, who was named interim principal after Bevere’s sudden resignation earlier this year.
