Mark Puletti, 40, took his seat at the Newbury Schools Board of Education table Monday after being sworn in by Treasurer Nancy McPeak.Board member Marty…
Mark Puletti, 40, took his seat at the Newbury Schools Board of Education table Monday after being sworn in by Treasurer Nancy McPeak.
Board member Marty Sanders noted there were several applicants for the position from which Ken Blair retired last month. Two were interviewed and the board settled on Puletti.
“It’s good to see the community wants to be part of the school. That means a lot to us,” Sanders said. “It’s not a really glorious job.”
Puletti — who has one son who graduated from Newbury High School and two who are still in school at Newbury — said he has been watching the school system since moving there 12 years ago and he started to volunteer with the Newbury Township Joint Recreation Board soon after.
“I’ve got a drive to give back to the community,” he said, adding he understands some of the issues small schools face.
“We need to retain quality teachers and put them in positions where they can focus on the kids, give them the skills they need,” Puletti said.
It would be better if the school could avoid the high employee turnover the district has seen over the last couple of years, he said.
These are challenging times and the teachers and administration are the foundation of a school system, Puletti said.
The term to which he was appointed will be up December 2015.
The Puletti family moved to Newbury from Willoughby, he said. He is a radiology supervisor at the Cleveland Clinic and Laura, his wife, is now a substitute aide for the schools.
