Salem - At a special meeting Tuesday night, the Board of Education unanimously filled the open positions of interim principal and interim assistant principal for Salem School.

Michael Rafferty of Old Saybrook was selected to fill the position of interim principal. Rafferty started working in education in 1969 and retired in 2013. Since then, he has served in interim administrative positions at four other schools. He and Superintendent Joseph Onofrio previously worked together in the Old Saybrook school system, where Rafferty was a principal for 23 years.

Rafferty said he was "looking forward to the challenge" of joining Salem School and that this would be the longest interim position he has served. The position will likely last until the end of the current school year.

The school board also appointed Joan Phillips, a teacher at Salem School for 18 years. She has previously served as language arts and math interventionist and has taught math and social studies. Phillips said she hopes to provide continuity in administration for staff and students during a time of change at Salem School.

Phillips will have to step down from her current position as president of the teachers union, but she said serving as an administrator will allow her to support teachers and students in a different way.

"I love the school, and I wanted to be able to support the teachers," said Phillips after an interview with the school board during executive session. "The end goal is the students, so if the teachers have what they need," then the students will, too.

Phillips will serve as interim assistant principal until the end of the school year. The school board will decide whether or not it will hire a permanent assistant principal after the upcoming study on Salem School's administrative efficiency is completed.

Rafferty and Phillips will begin transitioning into their new roles over the next few days. They will officially take the reins from former Principal Suzanne Zahner - who remained at Salem School to begin the new year - and interim Assistant Principal Ron Perrault in early October.

Tuesday's special meeting was also the first for newly appointed board member Phil Teixeira. The atmosphere at the meeting, as well as that of last week's special meeting during which Teixeira was voted onto the board, were decidedly more pleasant than previous meetings which have seen tension within the board and between the board and audience members.

"This was a very big evening for us," said board Chairman Stephen Buck, who called Rafferty and Phillips "quality people" who will be "great for the kids, the school and the community."

First Selectman Kevin Lyden, who also attended the executive session, said he was pleased by both appointments, particularly by that of Phillips, who he believes will play an important part in easing the stress that has plagued the school board and administrators in recent months.

"The Board of Education and the superintendent made the right choice," Lyden said.

In addition to filling roles on the school board and administration, the school has filled vacancies left by a string of faculty and staff resignations over the summer.

The board also approved Onofrio's plan to work with a staffing service to hire a temporary secretary to replace school secretary Emily Doiron, who resigned before the start of the school year. Onofrio and the board agreed that hiring a temporary employee would allow for flexibility in a position that may see its role changed depending on the outcome of the administrative efficiency study.

j.hopper@theday.com

Twitter: @JessHoppa