John Fabrizio was fresh out of college and working a construction job one weekend when his brother’s friend, an elementary school assistant principal, mentioned he was trying to fill a mid-year staff vacancy.

“I went down for an interview one Friday and they hired me on a Monday and I became a special ed teacher,” Fabrizio recalled.

So began a three-decade career in special education that took Fabrizio from a teaching position in Timberlane to administrative roles in Merrimack, and in 2021, to the Concord School District, where he works as the assistant superintendent of student services.

Earlier this month, Fabrizio was named the state’s special education administrator of the year, in recognition of his career of achievement in a field that is increasingly at the forefront of public education discussions in the state.

“The committee was really impressed with John’s ability to build partnerships, whether it be with parents, families, students, the staff at large, and within his administrative team,” said Jane Bergeron-Beaulieu, the executive director of the the state Association of Special Education Administrators, which bestows the annual award on an administrator in the state.

Fabrizio said the honor has prompted him to reflect on what has motivated him professionally.

“They always say, ‘What’s your why and why do you want to do this work?’ ” he said in an interview last week. “Mine’s simple: I want to help. And that’s kind of what I’ve been doing.”

After serving as a special education and eighth grade language arts teacher at Timberlane Middle School, he got his first job as an administrator in that district. From there, Fabrizio moved to Merrimack, where he spent the bulk of his career, serving as a principal, director of special services and assistant superintendent.

Concord Superintendent Kathleen Murphy hired Fabrizio a year after she started in the district. Like Bergeron-Beaulieu, she said she immediately recognized how personable he was.

“When we were doing the interview process he connected with the folks that he met with,” Murphy said. “People seemed to gravitate to him because he was very open.”

“That’s really important that moms and dads, family members, guardians, foster parents feel like they can pick up the phone, call John and have a conversation with him to help their child,” Murphy added.

Fabrizio’s role is not limited to supervising special education. His purview extends to 12 other programs, from preschool to English language learners.

When he came to Concord, Fabrizio conducted an audit of the district’s special education services. Since then, he also has audited services for English language learners.

Among Fabrizio’s accomplishments, Murphy highlighted his efforts to spearhead Concord’s 2+2+2 program, which allows high school students who attend the Concord Regional Technical Center to obtain a paraprofessional certificate before attending NHTI for two years, during which they work in the school district’s elementary schools.

“It’s kind of like our pipeline and John was the leader,” Murphy said.

Currently, Fabrizio is working to bring the rising cost of special education transportation down by bringing the services in-house.

Fabrizio, for his part, said he is most proud of the team he has built around him.

“I kind of wish this award was for a district and not for me, because we don’t work in a vacuum,” he said.

Since he received the award, he’s heard from many of the people he has worked with over the years and has reflected on how integral they have been in his professional journey.

“You’ve got to come to work and enjoy it,” he said. “And I have.”

Jeremy Margolis can be contacted at jmargolis@cmonitor.com.