SWAMPSCOTT— Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis announced that the district’s Director of Finance, Cheryl Herrick-Stella, has been promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operation.
The promotion comes on the heels of Herrick-Stella’s one-year anniversary of working in Swampscott schools. Angelakis said that her new role will allow her to impact the direction of the district beyond just finance.
“It signifies a shift from a more focused financial management role to a leadership role with strategic focus,” Angelakis said. “She’s been very involved in our vision and mission and district strategy… she doesn’t just stay in the financial lane.”
She added that she feels Herrick-Stella has done a good job educating herself and other figures about financial nuances through professional development. The School Committee also expressed gratitude and satisfaction with Herrick-Stella’s performance at Thursday’s meeting. Angelakis noted that the title change does not come with a payment increase.
The committee then opened a public hearing on School Choice, which eventually voted unanimously against adopting the principle.
“Historically, Swampscott public schools has never been a School Choice district,” Angelakis said.
School choice would allow students from other municipalities to enroll in Swampscott’s district. One of Angelakis’s reasons for recommending not to opt in was to focus on the continued growth of the district’s METCO program. Committee Chair Suzanne Wright noted that the committee plans to continue to discuss the topic every year despite the history of the town not participating.
