Kostan: Next super to pick English principal

LYNN-Despite retiring English High School Principal Andrew Fila’s desire to have Superintendent Nicholas Kostan make the decision regarding his successor, Kostan’s own retirement will prevent him from doing so.Fila has submitted a letter to Kostan stating that he would not seek to renew his current contract when it expires Aug. 31, but has not officially announced that he would be retiring from the position. Fila has said he intends to finish the length of his current contract, and was hoping to train his replacement during the latter part of the school year.Kostan, who is leaving in early January, said Tuesday that any decision on the next English principal would be made by his successor.”Andy has given me a letter of intent not to renew his contract. He has until Aug. 31 (when the contract expires) to decide what he wants to as far as retirement or whether he wants to leave at an earlier date,” said Kostan. “My last day is going to be in early January, so I think the next superintendent will make that appointment.”Fila, who has been principal at English for eight years, says he has someone in mind to take his place when he leaves, but is not mentioning any names. Assistant Principal Thomas Strangie did serve as acting principal last month while Fila was vacationing in Florida.While the School Department continues to take resumes for Kostan’s soon-to-be vacant position, it received news this week that another veteran administrator would be stepping down after the first of the year.Kostan confirmed Tuesday that Parent Information Center Director Janet Birchenough has filed her retirement papers this month and will vacate her position on Feb. 1.Birchenough is the seventh member of the department’s administrative team to retire in the last 12 months, joining Kostan, Business Administrator Steve Upton, Science Curriculum Head David Linehan, Math Curriculum Head Richard McGuinness, Director of Technology Integration Sharon Tucker and Executive Director of Curriculum Joanne Roy.”That is the circle of life, I guess,” Kostan quipped. “We are all about the same age, so it was about that time for all of us. It has been a big turnover in the last year.”Like many of the other names on that administrative list, Birchenough has served a variety of roles in her four decades in the school system, from elementary school art teacher to director of the PIC – a position she has held for nearly 20 years.Perhaps no role has been more important than the one she played during the early part of the decade, testifying for the city during a long and highly publicized desegregation court case.Birchenough was an expert on the complicated racial balance plan and her testimony ultimately helped the city win the case.Kostan remembered the assistant district attorney working on the case, Richard Cole, referred to Birchenough as an “encyclopedia” in terms of her knowledge of the desegregation plan.”Jan has done a tremendous job. She has been extremely helpful to all of us in the central office with her organizational skill, she truly is a Jill of All Trades,” Kostan said. “She does the student enrollment projection numbers, and she is always very precise and accurate which has been very helpful to us over the years.”Jan did a number of different things and she did all of them well, she is certainly going to be missed, to say the least.”Birchenough’s position will likely be filled by Kostan’s successor, but Kostan still has two open jobs to handle before he steps aside.Kostan said he hoped to have new hires for the health and wellness curriculum director and the director of technology integration by the next School Committee meeting, Nov. 13.