MARBLEHEAD — Superintendent of Schools John Buckey announced a pair of appointments to administrative vacancies in the town’s schools created by the impending departures of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Nan Murphy and High School Principal Dan Bauer.
Buckey, in a message to the community Thursday afternoon, wrote that Michele Carlson, the assistant principal of Marblehead High School, would succeed Bauer in the school’s top post. He wrote that Julia Ferreira, an assistant principal at Veterans Middle School, would be elevated to the assistant superintendent post. Murphy and Bauer both accepted superintendent positions this winter, with Murphy headed to Dedham and Bauer departing for Danvers.
In promoting internal candidates, Buckey wrote that he was confident in Carlson and Ferriera’s ability to hit the ground running in their new posts once the school year concludes.
“Both Michele and Julia received robust support from their respective Search Committees, and both have the support and recommendations of their current principals, who have been mentoring them to take this next step in their career,” Buckey said.
The school district is on the precipice of a perilous budget season, with 33 jobs set to be cut if a Proposition 2 ½ override does not pass at Town Meeting on May 1.
Carlson and Ferreira both earned rave reviews from their respective principals, and ostensible mentors, Bauer and Matt Fox.
“I couldn’t be happier for the future of MHS,” Bauer said. “I have enjoyed mentoring Michele. She has been an asset, and I know she will continue to move our important initiatives forward.”
“Julia is ready for this next step in her career,” added Fox. “She will bring a wealth of knowledge around curricula, and her excellent relationships with students, teachers, and families will serve her well.”
Before she came to Marblehead, where she has spent the past nine years, Carlson worked as a classroom teacher and department coordinator at Wakefield Memorial High School.
Ferreira worked as an assistant principal in Oakley, California at Freedom High School before taking up the same position in Marblehead in 2020. She also worked as an English teacher and team leader at the Freedom School, and before that worked as an English teacher and department chair at Oakland Military Institute College Preparatory Academy for six years.
“We are thrilled to see the investment in mentoring has resulted in these two internal candidates advancing within our district,” Buckey wrote. “Both educators will have an opportunity to work closely with their predecessors over the next three months to learn even more about these roles before taking the positions on July 1.”
