Scarborough school officials announced Friday that they are seeking applicants for the principal’s position at Scarborough High School.
The district posted the job opening on ServingSchools.com and emailed a letter to the school community from Assistant Superintendent Jo Anne Sizemore and Director of Special Services Alison Marchese, who head a principal’s search committee including high school staff members, students and community members.
The announcement comes a little more than a year after controversy broke out surrounding a dispute between the former principal, David Creech, who left last June, and Superintendent Julie Kukenberger, who announced in November that she will leave her post at the end of the school year.
“We are writing to let you know that the high school principal search is underway,” Sizemore and Marchese wrote to the school community. “We have great confidence and trust that the High School Principal Search Committee will engage in a thoughtful interview process and will recommend a very qualified candidate.”
They said Susan Ketch, formerly an assistant principal at the high school, will continue to serve as interim principal through June 30. “We want to thank Principal Ketch for the outstanding job she is doing while acting as our interim principal,” Sizemore and Marchese wrote.
The application deadline is April 5. The search committee is expected to recommend a candidate to the school board on May 16. The new principal would start July 1.
According to the job description, “The Scarborough School District seeks a proven leader for Scarborough High School. The ideal candidate must have excellent communication skills, a strong commitment for high quality teaching and learning, and the ability to balance the needs of students, staff, families, and community stakeholders.”
The ideal candidate also must have “a collaborative approach to leadership, a clear vision, and a desire to contribute with a dynamic school and district leadership team.” Applicants must have a master’s degree, state principal certification or eligibility, and a minimum of three years of school leadership experience. No salary range is noted.
The school district was divided through much of last year after Creech resigned suddenly in February 2018, then tried to retract his resignation, saying that Kukenberger had forced him to resign or be fired.
Kukenberger and the school board rejected Creech’s request to withdraw his resignation letter, triggering a townwide dispute and a recall election that ousted three board members in May. Five new board members were elected in November – four of whom were endorsed by a local group that sought to have Kukenberger fired.
Creech’s annual salary as principal of Scarborough High was a little more than $112,000. He is now interim principal at Winthrop High School, where he will receive $76,000 to work 189 days during the 2018-2019 school year.
Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:
kbouchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: KelleyBouchard
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