Finalist for Swampscott principal to be announced soon

SWAMPSCOTT-Superintendent Matthew Malone is expected to announce the finalist for the position of high school principal this week.In December, High School principal Lawrence Murphy announced he would be leaving the district at the end of the academic year.The High School Principal Search Team received 25 applications for the position. The committee winnowed the applications down and interviewed numerous semi-finalists before selecting four finalists.Malone said the names of the finalists would be announced later this week and candidates would visit the high school March 25-March 27 and March 30.?I am very impressed with the overall quality of the entire candidate pool,” Malone said. “We received 25 applicants while competing with Andover, Newton South and Needham high schools. I credit our search consultants with recruiting a high caliber candidate pool.”Malone said the majority of the 25 candidates were from Massachusetts.?We had applicants from a range of backgrounds,” he said. “We had principals, assistant principals and classroom teachers.”Malone said the district hopes to hire and sign a contract with the next principal sometime in April.?We’re hoping to move as fast as we can,” he said. “We want to hire in April even if the candidate can’t start until June 30 so we can provide some sort of transition.”Murphy is leaving the district June 30 when his three-year contract expires. Murphy said he loves the the town and high school but he is looking for opportunities a little closer to his home in Winchendon.?I want to thank everyone who has been so kind to me in my tenure here,” he said. “It’s been a great ride. I’ve enjoyed working here very much.”