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Date: 1/24/2023
NORTHAMPTON – Two letters sent by interim Superintendent Jannell Pearson-Campbell on Jan. 11 unveil a timeline set for the hiring of a permanent principal at two schools in the district.
In a letter to Bridge Street Elementary School and JFK Middle School caregivers, Pearson-Campbell said that there is a plan to hire a permanent principal for both schools by July.
“Our future principal will embrace the district’s core educational values and will work with our community to create a shared vision for a successful elementary school experience for students in Northampton,” said Pearson-Campbell, in the letters. “The right candidate will be committed to diversity and equity issues, have a high degree of autonomy and trust within the school, and collaborate with educators, students, administrators and community members to cultivate lifelong learning in all of our students, ensuring success for college and career readiness.”
The timeline indicates that finalist interviews for a principal at Bridge Street will occur on Feb. 7 and 8 while JFK Middle School interviews will occur between Feb. 1 and 2. The goal is to have a Bridge Street principal chosen by mid-February and a JFK one chosen by Feb. 8. Both principals are projected to start on July 1, as part of a tentative timeline.
Desmond Caldwell departed as the JFK principal after two years at the helm and was replaced on an interim basis by Lauren Marien.
Former Bridge Street principal Beth Choquette, meanwhile, was replaced for an interim period by Carol Ruyffelaert.
Back in December, the school district hired William Wehrli as the permanent principal for the Northampton High School job after an interim principal helmed the school since March 2022.
Wehrli, who was chosen as a finalist out of 14 candidates, has over 30 years of experience in education, 19 of those as an administrator in Western Massachusetts. He has served as a principal intern and interim co-principal/assistant principal for a school with 1,380 students, as well as a principal for a school with 460 students.
He has lived in Northampton and Amherst for the past 25 years and has also spent the last six years working for schools across New England. He began his education career as an English and World Civilization teacher.
A hiring committee has been appointed to review applications for the positions as they came in.