The Poughkeepsie City School District’s seven buildings will have four new principals in 2025-26, but at least three of them, appointed by the Board of Education June 4, will be faces familiar to families and students.Barrington Atkins, District 9 Dutchess County Legislator representing the City of Poughkeepsie and an assistant principal at Poughkeepsie High School during the 2022-23 school year, has been hired as Poughkeepsie Middle School’s principal. The school has had interim principals the last two school years.“I am very grateful to return back home to Poughkeepsie, to this district,” Atkins told the board. “I’m dedicated to our community. I’m ready to work with not only the students, faculty and staff but also the families in our community.”
Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Gregory Mott, who will become superintendent July 1, noted Atkins is a Poughkeepsie resident who has long been an advocate for students and the district.
Felicia Schinella, who has been interim principal in the middle school this year, will become an assistant principal at the high school, and high school assistant principal Cecil Coston will serve the same role in the middle school in 2025-26.
The district is conducting interviews to fill a vacant principal position at Smith left by Principal Nadine Elting-Dargan’s retirement. The board on Wednesday appointed Jessica Baruffo, the assistant principal at Krieger for the last three years, to serve as interim principal. 
“She’ll be a good fit with building camaraderie and bringing that team of new teachers together at Smith,” Mott said. “Her background and her strength, I believe, is grades 3 through 5.”
Smith’s assistant principal, Melissa Barrow, will become principal at Krieger after Carolyn Fields’ resignation. Barrow joined the district at the start of this year.
Mott cited Barrow’s experience in bilingual instruction as a reason for placing her in the building that will house the district’s pre-K to 2 dual-language program. While in the East Ramapo Central School District, she created a robust English language learner program.
“She’s demonstrated her readiness,” Mott said. “She is a 10-year veteran of working in a central office and she came to us wanting to grow her capacity as a building leader.”