OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Fredonia High School Principal Darrin Paschke gestures as he describes a time Doug Rector gave him a 3-D printed tool out of the blue.

Two longtime members of the Fredonia Central School District’s Information Technology department are retiring this year.

Current IT Director Doug Prince recently submitted his letter of resignation for the purpose of retirement, which was followed shortly afterward by another letter of resignation by Doug Rector, which was recently accepted by the Board of Education.

The district is first seeking a Director of Technology to lead the IT department, which will include the duty of helping fill the remaining open positions.

“We have been contemplating a couple different plans for replacement and how to best move forward with this department in the next school year,” said Fredonia Superintendent Brad Zilliox.

“We need to replace our Director of Technology. … The hire would ensure that we have a solid individual in place with a vast knowledge based in the area, can see the big picture and plan for the future, and will also be involved in the hiring that would then subsequently need to be done in the department in the near future.”

Just as administrators did at a recent meeting to accept Prince’s retirement, members of the district also spoke to the work Rector did in his nine years of service at Fredonia.

“Every school district has its characters, and Doug certainly falls into that category. He has a unique demeanor and an overall attitude and vibe about him,” said Zilliox. “If you need something fixed or you need someone to come down and make something happen, he’s there for us. He takes care of whatever might come up, and on this job, a lot of that is spur of the moment. … He has always been flexible and willing to pitch in to get the job done.”

Fredonia High School Principal Darrin Paschke “appreciated” a time Rector gave him a tool that was 3-D printed, out of the blue without Paschke even asking for a tool, solely because Rector believed it could be of use.

“Doug takes the time to talk and care about what’s going on. I appreciate what he’s brought to our district, and I’ll miss him when he goes,” Paschke said.

“I think we all feel the same,” said Middle School Principal Paula Troutman. “Both of the Dougs are going to be terribly missed. They did a lot for us every single day – a lot.”

Fredonia also recently hired Katrina Sanders and Abigail Mejia – a Dunkirk High School graduate – to probationary Teacher Aide positions. Mejia has also served as a Teacher Aide at Jamestown Public Schools. The district also recently approved the nomination for reelection of Gregory Cole, Thomas DeJoe, David Lowrey, and Christine Schnars for the BOCES Board of Education.