White Plains Athletic Director Salvestrini Lands Danbury Job
Sometimes in life you can really go home again. On Friday White Plains Athletic Director Chip Salvestrini officially accepted the Athletic Director’s Position at Danbury High School. Before accepting the Danbury job on Friday he removed his name from consideration for the New Rochelle High School Athletic Director job search where he was one of the finalists.
Salvestrini, who after three years running the White Plains School District Athletic and Physical Education department wasn’t offered tenure from the White Plains Plains Board of Education this past winter, is expected to officially sign his new contract this week with Danbury.
Earlier this year, the school board decided to make a change in the role of the athletic director. Salvestrini was hired to run both Athletics and Physical Education in the district three years earlier.
According to several sources the new plan is for a member of the physical education department to spend a portion of his or her time as the new department head while continuing to teach some physical education classes.
The new athletic director position would just be in charge of athletics and would have no more responsibility in the physical education department.
Salvestrini submitted his application and resume for the newly designed athletic director position at White Plains High School and wasn’t granted an interview, he said.
So far, no new athletic director or head of physical education has been named.
Salvestrini came to White Plains after eight years as the athletic director at Danbury High School.
In his new position he will be in charge of Danbury’s athletics and running the school’s stadium. Salvestrini said he found out about the opening at Danbury from his old boss there, Mike Clark, who is an assistant principal at the school.
Salvestrini met with Danbury’s search committee and the New Rochelle search committee on the same day two weeks ago.
Last Monday night he learned from Danbury Superintendent of Schools Sal Pascarella that his name was being submitted to the Board of Education for approval.
Danbury’s Board of Education met on Wednesday night and approved Salvestrini. He got a phone call from Pascarella saying he was appointed by the board later that night. Salvestrini received the Danbury job offer in writing on Thursday evening and on Friday he accepted the job.
The Danbury school system has about 10,000 students (K-12), according to Salvestrini. The school’s prior athletic director was Daniel Scavone. According to the school’s website there are 62 teams in 25 sports.
Though he’s is very excited to return to a school district that really wants him back Salvestrini is disappointed about leaving White Plains.
“I really want to thank all the coaches, physical education teachers, parents, students and the White Plains community for their support of the program over the last three years and I’m going to miss them,” said Salvestrini.
There is still some important work for Salvestrini to take care of at White Plains before his final day on June 30. None of the fall sports coaches have been approved by the Board of Education. This is a process that usually takes place in June. Salvestrini plans to submit the names of the fall coaches as usual for approval on June 25.
He will start his new position July 23 and he has already met with several of the varsity coaches from Danbury.
“With Chip, we have a veteran who has proven himself,” Pascarella is quoted as saying in a Danbury News-Times story about Salvestrini’s appointment last week.
“He was great when he was here, and he went through the interview process and the candidate competition was tough.”
In the same article the chairman of the school board Gladys Cooper also praised Salvestrini. “He had the leadership and the ownership of Danbury,” Cooper said. “I hope the respect that he had when he left will continue.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
