Newfane Central School District has a new leader in place ahead of the next school year.
James Lupini was appointed superintendent, effective August 1, by the school board during a special meeting on Sunday morning.
“I couldn’t be happier or prouder to become a Panther,” Lupini said. “I want to thank the board of education for this opportunity. I am overwhelmed with excitement to begin working with the students, faculty, staff, families and school community of Newfane.”
Lupini began his administrative career as an assistant high school principal in the Depew district. After three years in that role, he was appointed the principal of Depew Middle School in 2016. In 2020, Lupini was appointed the executive secondary principal responsible for leadership of the district’s middle school and high school.
“The board is delighted to welcome (Lupini) to Newfane as our new superintendent,” school board president Santo Tomasine said. “He has a strong vision of effective schooling and a passion for building relationships with students, staff and the school community. We were also very impressed with how much he already knows about Newfane and believe the dedication and commitment that he demonstrated throughout the search process will make him a valuable asset to our schools and community for years to come.”
The board again enlisted the services of Anthony Day and the Western New York Educational Service Council to conduct the search, the same organization that assisted in the 2023 search that turned up Lisa Krueger, who has since departed to take on the same post at West Seneca schools.
In its search, the district yielded 14 applicants and subsequently whittled down the list to five candidates who interviewed with the school board and a community focus group composed of parents, teachers, service employees and administrators last month.
“The board was very pleased with the search process. The quality of the candidates was quite strong. We were especially impressed by the commitment and engagement of the individuals representing the community focus group whose feedback was very valuable in our discussions,” Tomasine said.
In May, the board appointed Michelle Spasiano, a retired administrator who most recently led the Franklinville school district, as interim superintendent.
Krueger’s appointment at West Seneca schools took effect Monday, less than a year after she took the superintendent’s post in Newfane. Because of that brief time, WNYESC provided its services for new search at no cost, per a clause in the contract from the previous search process.