Lynn looks to hire Ford, Marshall principals by Thanksgiving

LYNN – Job postings for principal positions at Marshall Middle School and Ford Elementary School were to take place today.”It will be posted for 30 days and after that there will be a screening committee, then the interviews,” said School Committee member Donna Coppola. “It should run very smoothly.”Coppola, who is chairman of the personnel subcommittee, said she hopes new leadership will be in place for both schools by Thanksgiving, if not sooner.Retired Ford School Principal Claire Crane announced in late July that she would step down, leaving the school department no time to hire a replacement before the start of school. Former Marshall Principal Richard Cowdell resigned at the end of August after making what he called a very difficult decision.Superintendent Catherine Latham put Harrington School Principal Debra Ruggiero temporarily at the helm of the Highlands school and asked longtime coach and educator James Ridley to take a break from his retirement to temporarily run Marshall.Coppola said she believes both schools will need strong leadership.”Ford has been a full community school, and I’m sure people that live in the Highlands would like to preserve that as much as they can,” she said. “It’s important that we give the families in each school what they need.”Coppola said offering after-school programs and night school for parents, both of which took place at the Ford School, can only benefit students because it makes families stronger.When the panel of school department personnel, School Committee members and parents begin to interview potential prospects, parents hope they keep a few things in mind.Ford School parent Nuriat Charlton said she’d like to see someone come in who mirrors Crane. Crane was not afraid to speak up and take a stand, and she made sure that students’ and families’ needs were met, Charlton said.Virginia Sambaio agreed.She said she would like to see a principal put in place who cares about the children and the community like Crane did.Miriam Aquilone said she’d like to see someone who is warm but also offers up fair discipline and can get kids interested in learning.”I don’t think anyone can fill (Crane’s) shoes,” said Melissa Zaccagnini, who was waiting Monday to pick up her grandchildren at the Ford School.Zaccagnini said her children all went through Ford, and she always appreciated that Crane looked out for all kids.Deb Hines, who has twin daughters at the school, said she, too, would like to see Ford maintain its connection to the community.”I think it helps the parents to feel more involved,” she said. “It has to be someone who is welcoming and makes it known that they want people involved, (who) invites suggestions and ideas.”Hines said when she was a child the principal was someone who sat in his or her office and caused fear among students who were summoned there. That is not the case today, where principals know, or should know, students and families alike, she said.Desiray Cordova is in the eighth grade at Marshall Middle School and a graduate of Ford Elementary, and she said she would like to see someone more like Crane but not unlike Cowdell at the helm of Marshall as well.”She loved kids, and I would like someone who focuses on that,” she said.Applications for both jobs will be accepted through Oct. 30, and things should move quickly from there, Coppola said.When the position was posted for the Drewicz School, it went up in June, closed on July 1 and a new principal was hired by the Fourth of July, said Coppola, who sat on the interview panel.”It went very smoothly, and I definitely think we could have people in place by December,” she said. “It will bring some stability to both schools. We’ve had some nice people, good people step up to fill in, but it’s nothing like having a permanent principal in place.”