- Wallingford-Swarthmore School District
- Welcome to the Assistant Superintendent's Office
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Welcome from Dr. James Conley, Assistant Superintendent
Dear Members of the WSSD community,
My name is Dr. James Conley, and I am honored to serve as the new Assistant Superintendent of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. While I have only been a member of the school district community for a short time, I have experienced such a warm and genuine welcome from staff, students, and community members.
In my new role at WSSD, and as an educator for over 25 years, I understand the sacred trust that has been placed before us as educators in working with the children of this community each day. As the educational philosopher John Dewey once said, “Education is not a preparation for life; rather education is life itself.” The success of our students, and their wellness in this pursuit, both in the classroom and outside the walls of our schools, is the essence of our vocation as educators. Our children’s education should be more than just learning to read with discernment, to write with passion, and to think with an open mind. Instead, our aims need to be educating the whole child, embracing the challenges that our children face each day, and providing them with the tools they will need to succeed in life.
Over the next nine months, we will be developing our WSSD Strategic Plan where we will engage all stakeholders in a discussion regarding the direction of our district. During the 2021-2022 school year, WSSD successfully completed audits of Communications, Curriculum, and Equity. The feedback that we have received from our community stakeholders through the audit processes will provide the essential foundation and focus for our Strategic Plan. As we move into the next few months, our community will continue to play a fundamental role in the Strategic Planning process. As we work to finalize the plan through the Spring of 2023, we strive for all community voices to be represented and heard.
So, thank you to those individuals with whom I have already met, and I look forward to building positive relationships with all members of the WSSD community over the next few months.
I do hope that we will be able to connect with one another in the future.
Kind Regards,
Dr. James Conley
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- James Conley

- Heather Fili
Meet the Team
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Meet Dr. James Conley
Dr. James Conley is entering his 26th year in education at the secondary and post-secondary levels. As a member of the Unionville High School community for 19 years, Dr. Conley served as the Unionville High school principal, the UHS assistant principal, and an 11th and 12th grade Honors and Advanced Placement English teacher. Prior to working at Unionville High School from 1998-2003, Dr. Conley was an English teacher at Saint Joseph's Preparatory school and served as the Assistant Director of Admissions.
In 2009, Dr. Conley co-authored Advanced Placement Classroom Macbeth, a text that instructs educators about teaching the nuances of Shakespeare’s play, as well as presents myriad classroom strategies for all levels of learners. Dr. Conley was an adjunct English professor at Saint Joseph’s University, West Chester University, and Cecil College.
Dr. Conley received his Doctorate degree in Educational leadership from Widener University, his Principal’s Certification from Penn State University, his Masters degree in English from Villanova University, and his Bachelor’s degree in English from The College of the Holy Cross. Dr. Conley is married to his wife Michele, and they have three sons: Jimmy, Joey, and John-Patrick.