Schools To Quickly Fill Assistant HS Principal Slot

With the departure of Belmont High School Assistant Principal Layne Millington – who will be installed as principal of Swampscott High School next week ­– there is a critical opening to fill at the top of High School Principal Michael Harvey's management team.

And while it may appear tempting to allow Millington's position to remain unfilled to free up approximately $100,000 in a tight budget year, the leader of the school department isn't even considering that sort of money "saving" plan.

"This is an important position that we hope to fill quickly with an appropriate candidate," said School Superintendent George Entwistle before Monday night's School Committee meeting.

Just how quickly the school department will replace Millington remains fluid since the former assistant principal only accepted the leadership role on the North Shore a week earlier.

Entwistle said that potentially the department could see some savings when replacing a senior administrative position with a candidate who is usually coming in with less experience and management history.

According to town records, Millington salary – he became assistant principal in 2006 ­– was right at $100,000. It is unclear what salary range the Belmont school department will offer to potential replacements.

Yet Entwistle indicated the salary will be dependant on "his or her experience and ability to work with (Harvey)."

And that educator will be required to take on a number of roles that Millington undertook.

"He will certainly be missed," said Entwistle of Millington.

Millington's roles included being the point person for 9^th and 11^th graders.

Millington also took on special assignments including the Belmont Honors Student Program, a program sponsored by the Foundation for Belmont Education in which he worked with METCO Coordinator Diane Wiltshire to close the persistent achievement gap existing between minority and white students at the High School. The goal continues to be increasing the number of students of color taking honors and AP math by identifying and teaching the skills necessary to make the transition to honors classes successfully.

"He is an experienced, proven leader, who will sustain and build on the excellent programs and reputation that our students, parents, teachers and community have come to expect at Swampscott High School," said Millington's new superintendent, Lynne Celli.

Before coming to Belmont, Millington was a physics teacher in Georgetown, Massachusetts and then led that system's science department.