Committee to officially pick new school chief

SWAMPSCOTT – The Swampscott School Committee wants Pamela Angelakis to be the district?s next superintendent and will take an official vote in early December to do so because the first one violated the state?s open meeting law.Chairman Rick Kraft said what started on a discussion about the superintendent?s succession ended in a vote by the committee on Tuesday to appoint Angelakis, who has served in the district for 20 years, most recently as assistant superintendent since 2012.However, Kraft said he found out after the fact that the committee had violated the state?s open meeting law by appointing Angelakis without the action listed on the committee?s agenda.The committee will hold an official vote at its next meeting, Dec. 10, and will be working out the details of when Angelakis will move into Murphy?s position.Interim Superintendent Garry Murphy, who has been mentoring Angelakis since he started in September, said he firmly recommended Angelakis for the position.?She has the right values, the right skill set and she has been doing the job alongside me and I just think she?s going to be huge success at superintendent,” Murphy said Wednesday.After two public forums, Kraft said he heard both from community members that wanted Angelakis in the role and those that wanted a committee to conduct a search for a new superintendent. But on Tuesday, Kraft said, the committee agreed that between Angelakis? experience in the district and her rapport with teachers and the community, she was the right fit.To conduct a search and to train someone new to lead the district “would be time taken away from other initiatives in the schools ? and we thought we better focus on that,” said Kraft.?I believe the committee did the right thing. There?s no need to do search when you had the right candidate right there in front of you,” said Murphy.With Murphy?s contract expiring Jan. 31, 2014, the committee decided at its Tuesday meeting to have Angelakis start as superintendent with Feb. 1. Kraft said he is hoping to keep Murphy on as a consultant to the district, depending on finances.