Amherst narrows field for principals BY MARY CAREY, STAFF WRITER AMHERST - School officials have identified two finalists for the Amherst Regional Middle School principal post and five finalists for three elementary school principal positions, all of whom will visit the schools in the coming three weeks. Kathryn Mazur, human resources director for Amherst schools, said the finalists' names will be released Monday, Feb. 25 to allow candidates time to tell their current employers they are seeking the job and while background checks on the candidates are being performed. One of the two finalists for the Middle School position is local, Mazur said and one is from eastern Massachusetts. Twenty-two people applied for the position. One of the two candidates will spend the day at the school on Thursday, Feb. 28 and meet with parents and community members at the Middle School Library at 7 p.m., with the other candidate doing the same thing on Monday, March 3. Acting Principal Fran Ziperstein and Co-Principal Michael Hayes are in the second year of their two-year interim positions, succeeding Mary Cavalier, the former principal.
Elementary School Schedule.
Four of the five candidates for the three elementary school positions are from Massachusetts and one is from Rhode Island, Mazur said. Thirty people applied for the positions.One of the elementary school candidates will visit the schools on Monday, Feb. 25, meeting with community members that evening; two candidates will visit on Tuesday, Feb. 26 and two on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Russ Vernon-Jones, principal of Fort River Elementary School and Paul Wiley, principal of Crocker Farm Elementary School, who both became principal of their respective schools in 1990, announced they were retiring last year. Mark Prince later said he would not return as principal of Wildwood Elementary School after this year, after serving two years there.
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