The Special Education Department in the Averill Park Central School District will be under new leadership going into the 2024-25 school year as Sarah Flannery was appointed as the Director of Special Education and Christina Mein was appointed as the Assistant Director.
“The Special Education Department provides important services, support and resources to our students and their families, and we are very excited to have Sarah Flannery and Christina Mein leading the way,” Averill Park CSD Superintendent, Dr. James Franchini, said.
Mrs. Flannery graduated from Syracuse University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in English and Policy Studies, as well as a graduate degree in Special Education. She also earned School Building and District Leadership certificates in administration from the College of Saint Rose.
Professionally, Mrs. Flannery worked as an elementary Special Education teacher at East Greenbush CSD before being a Middle School CSE Chairperson / Special Education Supervisor at Bethlehem CSD. For the past four years, she held the position of Assistant Director of Special Education at Bethlehem.
“For as long as I can remember my philosophy of educational access and inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities has guided my professional choices,” Mrs. Flannery said. “Providing the support that students need for participation across a variety of settings has always been my daily focus. Throughout my career in special education, I have worked consistently and with compassion on behalf of children and families to ensure the promise of access to curriculum and opportunities to learn.”
The mission statement and values of the Averill Park Central School District are what drew Mrs. Flannery to her new position.
“As a proud member of this school community, it is something very special to be able to work on behalf of and in support of students, families and colleagues within my home school district,” she said. “I am so excited to bring my experiences to the AP school district while building collaborative relationships as we partner in the promise of meeting the needs of and creating opportunities for every student every day. I’ve been fortunate to begin to make connections and meet many of those I’ll be partnering with on these efforts.”
Mrs. Mein joined Averill Park CSD eight years ago, serving in the role of Assistant Principal at the High School since 2016 as well as the Interim Principal at West Sand Lake Elementary School in 2021.
Prior to working in Averill Park, Mrs. Mein spent the first 15 years of her career as a Special Education teacher, CSE Chairperson, 504 Coordinator, transition consultant, Extended School Year coordinator, special class reading teacher, and co-teacher in ELA and Social Studies K-12.
“I believe that my professional knowledge and experiences, as well as my personal experience of being a mom of a student with disabilities, makes me a great fit for this position,” she said. “Working at the district level provides me with an opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of our students across the district.
“A goal that I have for the 2024-25 school year is to work collaboratively with our new Director of Special Education to serve our K-12 students and their families. I look forward to meeting and fostering positive and collaborative relationships with students, families and faculty and staff in each of the buildings,” she added.
Mrs. Mein will miss greeting the high school students each morning, and will miss seeing faculty and staff that she has fostered strong, positive relationships with over the years.
