AMHERST — Amherst’s three elementary schools that will be in operation in fall 2026 will each have new leaders, though the individuals being appointed to the roles are all familiar faces in the district.
Tamera Sullivan-Daley, who has been principal at Fort River School since 2022 and brings over 20 years of experience in the district, will move to Crocker Farm School, the 300-student K-5 school on West Street that also houses the early childhood education program.
Sullivan-Daley will take over for Derek Shea, who is retiring at the end of the school year.
At the new elementary school under construction on South East Street next to Fort River, Wildwood School Principal Allison Estes, in the role since 2023 and with eight years in the district, will lead that K-5, 575-student school.
Both Wildwood, on Strong Street, and Fort River, will close next fall.
Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman told the Amherst School Committee last week that Sullivan-Daley and Estes were selected due to the work they have been doing.
“They are both very dynamic, very talented, strong leaders,” Herman said.
At the new 6th Grade Academy, expected to be operating from a portion of the Amherst Regional Middle School, Principal Juan Rodriguez will add that oversight to his duties, with the academy also to have a dedicated assistant principal who will be announced at a later date.
Herman said Rodriguez is a solution-oriented professional. “He has been diligent in what he’s been able to do,” Herman said.
School Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Shiao, though, said she isn’t confident in having the middle school principal also take on that role, when sixth graders will already be facing a lot of challenges.
“It’s up to us that they’re cared for, they’re held and they’re supported,” Shiao said.
In addition, the middle school, where seventh and eighth graders from Amherst, Pelham, Shutesbury and Leverett are educated, has faced its own issues.
“I’m aware that the start of the school year at the middle school has been bumpy,” Shiao said.
Herman confirmed that, outlining hiring issues, the change to the schedule mandated by the state education department, and an interim guidance counselor after the guidance counselor who built the schedule left.
On top of that, families are already worried about the building itself, which has had leaking roofs and concerns around mold and mildew.
“Regardless of what we did or didn’t do, there would be discomfort,” Herman said.
Still, Herman is pleased with the changes she has announced.
“This model allows us to right-size our schools for projected enrollment, strengthen programmatic offerings and provide students with equitable access to resources and supports,” Herman said.
“This restructuring is a major step for our community and it requires strong, steady leadership,” Herman wrote.
Herman said Shea, even though retiring, is committed to assisting in making sure things function next fall.
Meanwhile, Herman told the School Committee that the new school and the 6th Grade Academy will soon have names after gathering suggestions from the community. “We would like to stop calling it the new school,” Herman said.
More than 40 suggestions have come in for the name of the new school, since that was announced at the opening celebration in August.
By the end of October, after school open houses and an opportunity for people to vote on the best names, recommendations will be presented to the committee, with a vote by the end of November.