By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — Dr. Brendan Minnihan has been hired as Interim Superintendent of Schools for SAU 43 in Newport.
Minnihan will officially begin his duties at this position on July 1 at an annual salary of $110,000. For the past three years he has been Superintendent of Schools for SAU 30 based in Laconia at an annual salary of $140,000.
In addition to his base pay over the next year at Newport he will be eligible to receive quarterly bonuses of $2,500 if he reaches goals established by the Newport School Board.
Minnihan submitted his resignation to the Laconia School Board in December.
He previously served as Superintendent of Schools in Sunapee from 2008 to 2013 and was also a superintendent at the Contoocook Valley Regional School District in Peterborough.
The search for a new Superintendent for Newport to start in July of 2020 has already begun.
Newport’s current Superintendent for the past five years, Dr. Cindy Gallagher, announced this spring that she would be stepping down as Newport’s Superintendent on June 30. Gallagher said she plans to seek a position in public schools and higher education to have opportunities to work directly with students.
She was hired by the Newport School District in 2007 as the assistant principal at Newport Middle High School. She went on to serve as a principal at Newport Middle School, associate principal for Grades 6-12 and Director of At-Risk Services for three years.
She has been employed by the Newport School District for 12 years.
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