Kimberly Dunn Named MPS High School Special Ed Supervisor
MILFORD – The Milford Public School district is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Kimberly Dunn to the position of Special Education High School Supervisor for the district. As a Milford Public Schools graduate, Ms. Dunn brings valuable home-grown experience, in addition to her 15 year career in the special education environment in Madison. Ms. Dunn will fill the high school supervisory position while Eric Paradis, the district’s current high school administrator, will be moving to the middle school supervisory role. Ms. Dunn is expected to start on July 1 in Milford.
Dunn earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Southern Connecticut State University in 2006. As she began her career in education, Dunn returned to SCSU, where she earned a Master of Science degree in special education (2010), followed by an additional certification in educational leadership (092), also at Southern, in 2014.
Ms. Dunn’s career path brought her insightful experience in a variety of roles – experience that informs her role today. Beginning as a homebound tutor for Platt Regional Technical School, Dunn spent a year working with students having unique learning needs. In 2007, she began a two-year stint as a paraeducator, gaining hands-on training in the classroom at Daniel Hand High School in Madison. It was an experience that would confirm for her that working with students with special needs was her calling and she was hired as a special education teacher at the school in 2009.
Dunn served the Daniel Hand High School community for the next 13 years as a special education teacher and was consistently recognized for her exemplary work as she took on additional leadership roles in the school. As an accomplished teacher, Dunn co-taught an array of courses across many departments, including algebra, geometry, and Spanish. She also taught students in non-standard environments, such as self-contained and resource room classrooms, where she provided individualized instruction in English and mathematics. She planned and facilitated Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, and maintained meticulous data records, using a wide variety of evaluation tools to help create effective plans for her students. During this period, Dunn helped develop the postsecondary 18-21 year old program for Madison Public Schools. She also was involved in a variety of professional development activities, delivering presentations for her colleagues. She also served as a member of the visiting NEASC committee and Tri-State Consortium.
Beginning in 2022, Dunn was promoted to the role of special education program coordinator, a position where she further developed and refined her skills. She directed a department of 10 special education teachers and 10 para-educators and was actively involved as a member of the schoolwide leadership team, the student support team, and the district-level special education leadership team. In addition, Dunn was deeply involved in the continuous development of the Functional Academic Skills Education (FASE) program, tailoring necessary life skills instruction for students with significant challenges as they prepared to exit the school system.
Ms. Dunn is excited to take on her new role in Milford. “My experience has shown me that school administrators need to be versatile individuals, adept at communicating and collaborating with colleagues, students, and parents. One thing I know for sure – as a person who has kept my focus on the student’s growth, development, and well-being throughout my entire career – I look forward to helping make a positive impact in the lives of students in Milford and can’t wait to join the MPS team.”
Dr. Anna Cutaia, Superintendent of Schools, commented, “We are grateful to have Ms. Dunn join our team of leaders to continue our work in personalizing learning for all our students. The experience and skillset Ms. Dunn dovetails perfectly with the strength of our team.”
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