Swampscott High principal search down to 3 finalists

SWAMPSCOTT – Superintendent Lynne Celli has announced that a search committee had selected three finalists for the position of principal at Swampscott High.John Dillon III, assistant principal at Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington, Edward Rozmiarek, headmaster at Lowell High School, and Andrew Wulf, administrator of teaching and learning at Salem High School, were the three finalists chosen from a pool of 39 applicants who were narrowed down to 11 semi-finalists by Celli?s principal search committee.The three finalists will be visiting the high school on May 1 and May 2 to meet and be evaluated by students, staff, administration and community members. Celli wrote in the release that a schedule of the open forum will be available “early next week.”In a School Committee meeting March 27, Celli explained that she is qualified under state law to hire a principal on her own but prefers to use a search committee. She said most often, she and her search committees agree on the best candidate.?The cream really rises to the top,” she said.Whichever candidate out of the three who is selected after the open forum will begin on July 1, after Principal Layne Millington leaves to begin his position as principal at Marblehead High School.In the most recent School Committee meeting April 10, committee members discussed another kind of administrative succession in the interim superintendent, who will take over Celli?s day-to-day duties while she moves to a half-time position focusing on special projects on July 1.Committee member Rick Kraft, who is co-chairing the interim superintendent search committee, asked his fellow members what they would like to see in a candidate.Committee member Jaren Landen said she would like to see a superintendent who had a reputation with turning around a district that had faced “hardship.”Chairman Larry Beaupre said he would like to see someone with experience who has been a superintendent in more than one district. “Someone who has done this before, and know what succeeds to serve as a mentor to all parties involved,” he said. “Not someone who is just going to keep a chair warm.”Kraft agreed, adding he wanted someone who would continue to “push initiatives” that the district already had in place.Kraft said the committee is hoping to have finalists in mind for the interim superintendent by April 22.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].