Tech offers superintendency to Principal O'Connell

By Mike Stucka
Staff Writer

June 23, 2009 05:00 am

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MIDDLETON — The committee that oversees North Shore Technical High School is negotiating a contract with Principal Dan O'Connell to become the new superintendent, a move that bypasses the traditional search process.

"We feel he's qualified," said George Harvey of Essex, who leads the North Shore Regional Vocational School Committee. "And in this tight economic time, superintendent searches start at about $10,000 and go on up, and so we're saving that money."

Harvey said the School Committee voted unanimously this month to begin contract negotiations with O'Connell, who was appointed principal two years ago. Superintendent Amy O'Malley is retiring in December.

Harvey said the School Committee didn't begin negotiating with preconceived notions about salaries. He didn't know when negotiations could wrap up.

This is a difficult time to find superintendents, and vocational school superintendents are even more rare, Harvey said. Such searches can be costly, time-consuming and unsuccessful. He cited the Masconomet regional school district's search for a new superintendent, which named two finalists but then had to start over when one abruptly withdrew.

Harvey says his opinion is O'Connell is "a very affable guy, and I think he can take the school a long ways."

O'Connell and School Committee member Dean Porteous of Beverly, who led a subcommittee that recommended O'Connell, did not return messages left yesterday.

Two years ago, O'Connell described the North Shore Tech principalship as his "dream job." A Hall of Fame hockey coach, he's led Lawrence Technical High and worked as assistant principal at Haverhill High and Methuen High.

O'Malley, who hired O'Connell for the job here, declined to comment on his possible superintendency. If O'Connell ultimately takes the job, he'll need to find a new principal.

North Shore Tech is also working toward a merger, on a new $125 million campus, with Essex Aggie and Peabody High's vocational program. Local communities would need to agree to chip in over the next few months to get a $77.5 million state grant, but towns are still waiting for more state funding.

The school serves students from Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Lynnfield, Manchester, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Rockport, Salem, Swampscott, Topsfield and Wenham.