PELHAM — SAU 28 Associate Superintendent Amanda Lecaroz will be the first superintendent of the Pelham School District following Windham’s split from SAU 28.

The Pelham School Board elected Lecaroz Tuesday evening.

“I’m very excited to begin in this role,” Lecaroz said. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students and community as we pave the new Pelham School District.”

Lecaroz has been the lead administrator for the Pelham schools since the start of the school year. Superintendent Henry LaBranche has focused mainly on Windham. The division of duties was intended to ensure a smooth transition as Windham withdraws from SAU 28 at the end of this school year.

Lecaroz’s three-year contract as superintendent of the Pelham School District starts July 1, 2013. The position pays $125,000 annually.

Conducting a superintendent search can cost about $15,000, according to Brian Carton, chairman of the Pelham School Board. The district was willing to make that investment if necessary, he said.

“Fortunately, we had a solid candidate right in front of us and negotiations worked out,” Carton said.

In announcing its decision, the board said it especially values Lecaroz’s leadership and organizational skills, her curriculum expertise and her focus on student achievement.

“I have a great deal of respect for Amanda’s leadership abilities,” Carton said.

During her 20-year career in public education, Lecaroz, a Londonderry resident, has held leadership positions in Manchester, Litchfield, Hudson and Londonderry.

Before taking on the role of associate superintendent, Lecaroz focused primarily on curriculum and instruction for SAU 28. She is involved with mentoring school administrators throughout the district and implemented many programs, including a student-to-student mentoring program and professional development opportunities focused on improving teaching and learning.

Pelham will retain the SAU 28 designation as Lecaroz takes the reins in July. LaBranche is expected to retire after this school year.

Windham is searching for a superintendent to run its school district, which will operate as SAU 95. Voters in Windham decided to withdraw from SAU 28 last spring. The Windham withdrawal study committee concluded that having a full-time superintendent and staff focused solely on Windham schools outweighed any scale of economies derived from a shared SAU.

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Julie Hanson may be reached at Jhanson@newstote.com.