Region 14 student services director retiring

BETHLEHEM – Donna Marcinek, the Region 14 school district’s director of student services, has announced her retirement after 37 years in the district.

Marcinek was first hired in 1987 as a sixth-grade middle school teacher, then as a special-education teacher, before taking on her current role in 2018.

Her final day in the position is slated for late January 2023.

Superintendent Brian Murphy announced the news during Monday’s Board of Education meeting at Bethlehem Elementary School.

“I cannot thank Donna enough for 37 years in Region 14, for her dedication and commitment, and her amazing institutional knowledge that we always lean on,” Murphy said. “Donna always has the right answers.”

Marcinek heads a department charged with providing support services to Bethlehem and Woodbury students and their families in a variety of areas, including special education, speech and language therapy, physical and occupational therapy, school psychology and tutoring for English language learners.

Board member Carol Ann Brown said Marcinek “has been through the wars” in Region 14, through difficult times with regard to special education and has helped make significant improvements, including working to keep special-ed students in the district “where they belong,” rather than outsourcing them.

“She’s done a great job, and deserves credit for her leadership and her innovation,” Brown said.

Marcinek thanked the school board for hiring her nearly four decades ago.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been 37 years,” she said. “I really have enjoyed being part of this community and growing.”