ANDOVER — Marinel McGrath, superintendent of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District, was named a finalist last night for the same position in Andover.
She is one of four vying for the job, which pays between $180,000 and $200,000, said Andover School Committee Chairwoman Debra Silberstein.
Michael Gilbert, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which served as the consulting firm for the search, announced the finalists. The others are Andover Assistant Superintendent Susan Nicholson, Gloucester Superintendent Christopher Farmer and Kelly Clenchy, superintendent of Rural School Unit #26 in Maine — a regional school district.
McGrath came to Hamilton-Wenham in 2002 from Andover, where she'd served as an assistant superintendent since 1995. She could not be reached last night by The Eagle-Tribune, sister paper of The Salem News.
The search committee in Andover met with 10 of the 32 people who applied, and the four finalists emerged. The School Committee plans to host the candidates in Andover, interview them and visit their districts.
The Andover school district has a $59.7 million budget, 6,123 students, 446 teachers and 10 schools, according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. By comparison, the Hamilton-Wenham district has a $27 million budget, 2,080 students, 163 teachers and five schools.
McGrath earned $175,100 in the 2008-09 school year. If hired, she would replace outgoing Superintendent Claudia Bach.
Staff writer Bruno Matarazzo Jr. contributed to this report.







