New pupil services director hired for Stafford schools

Anthony Branciforte, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Apr. 16—STAFFORD — The Board of Education has appointed Katharine Gabrielson to be the school system's new director of pupil services.

According to an official job description, the position oversees special education, accommodation plans for students with disabilities, speech therapy, psychology, social work, and other special services for students. Her salary will be $145,735 a year.

NEW DIRECTOR OF PUPIL SERVICES

WHO: Katharine Gabrielson

SALARY: $145,735

DUTIES: Overseeing special education and other related services

Gabrielson replaces Trish Lustila, who is retiring at the end of the school year, Superintendent Stephen Moccio said. Lustila, who worked for the Woodstock school system for 39 years, came out of retirement to fill the position in March 2020.

According to Gabrielson's resume, she held similar positions in the Waterbury, Shelton, and New Haven school systems. She holds a sixth-year certificate in educational leadership from Sacred Heart University and a master's degree in early childhood special education and a bachelor's degree in psychology, both from George Washington University.

In an interview with the Journal Inquirer, Gabrielson, a Connecticut native, said her career path began with a job at a group home in Washington, D.C. that she held as an undergraduate. The home was set up for "boarder babies," a term that refers to children who were born HIV positive and abandoned in hospitals immediately after birth.

Gabrielson said the experience compelled her to get her master's degree so she could work with children with disabilities and help them reach their full potential.

As a director of pupil services for various school districts, Gabrielson said her career has involved "being an advocate for children and families with special needs and trying to also be an advocate for school systems that work so hard to help these children."

Gabrielson said she was drawn to Stafford because it's a smaller school system, which she said would allow her to develop relationships with students and families. Larger cities, she said, have "more layers" between someone in her position and those who are served by the school system.

Gabrielson added that her first priority is to "get a granular understanding of how the Stafford public schools function" and "get to know teachers and administrators and find out what they think is working or what needs to be changed."

Specific duties, according to the job description, include developing the annual budget request for special education and pupil services, participating in the hiring process of certain staff members, and monitoring state and federal regulations affecting special education.

Moccio said school officials are "incredibly excited to welcome" Gabrielson into the school system.

"Her vast understanding of special education instructional models and law, as well as her understanding of the importance of related services, will be a tremendous asset for the students and families of Stafford," he said. "Ms. Gabrielson strongly believes each student is an individual and we look forward to her partnering with regular education services in providing each student with support and encouragement."

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