West Hartford — Former three-sport Hartford High athlete Jeff Moreno’s pole vault mark of 12 feet, 6 inches still stands as a school record. Now, Moreno will be relied on to help Hartford’s athletic department achieve even greater heights.

Moreno, 39, was hired last month to become Hartford’s next assistant principal, a job that will put him in charge of curriculum, athletics and extracurricular activities. The school’s previous full-time athletic director position, held for the last seven years by Joe James, was eliminated along with four non-administrative jobs in March to help close a $1.1 million budget deficit.

James will become a math teacher at the high school as well as Hartford Memorial Middle School’s athletic director.

Hartford High’s AD duties will be divided between the school’s three remaining administrative personnel — principal Nelson Fogg, coordinator of student supports Roy Hathorn and Moreno — according to Fogg. However, it’s Moreno who will handle lion’s share of day-to-day AD responsibilities, from scheduling to special-events planning and communication responsibilities.

“If you need anything from an ADs standpoint, I’m the guy you’re going to come to most often,” Moreno said.

“Event oversight and things of that nature are more of what we’re going to be splitting up, from what I understand.”

A 1994 Hartford graduate, Moreno played football and basketball and ran track and field for the Hurricanes before going on to pole vault at the University of Vermont.

He later worked for 15 years at South Royalton School, 11 as AD and four as AD plus assistant principal. He was a bona fide Mr. Everything at SoRo, lining the fields and coordinating events along with his scheduling and administrative duties.

“He put everyone before himself and never wanted credit,” said former South Royalton principal Shaun Pickett, who hired Moreno out of UVM in 1998. “He always tried to lead by example and make things better. He’s a great role model.”

While happy during his three years as Hartland Elementary School’s principal, Moreno said he simply couldn’t pass on the opportunity to work at his alma mater.

“It’s Hartford,” said Moreno, who lives with his wife and three children in West Hartford. “I’m very much a product of the system here. My wife and I moved here so that our children could go through the system here. I have a vested interest in facilitating its development.”

Moreno said replacing the ubiquitous James won’t be easy.

“I was listening to the radio the other day and they were asking, ‘How is Hartford going to replace Joe James?’ It’s a legitimate question,” Moreno said. “Hopefully, I’m the best person to try to do that in this new role.”

James has said he isn’t bitter about the changes.

“When I talked to Jeff, it wasn’t a tearful parting of ways for me. I’m moving across the hall,” he said. “We pretty much just talked about the way we do business here.”

Moreno was chosen by a search committee including Superintendent of Schools Tom DeBalsi, middle school assistant principal Heather Cleveland, parent and boys ice hockey coach Todd Bebeau, parent Stephanie Joyce and Hartford High staff members Angela Conrad-Schlager, Kara Hall and Kelli Kehoe.

He begins the job July 1.

Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.