Six finalists for Edgartown principal's job

By Janet Hefler - December 29, 2005

The search committee charged with selecting a new principal for the Edgartown School has scheduled interviews on Wednesday and Thursday for six candidates chosen from a total of 12 who applied for the job.

The finalists include former Chilmark School principal Carlos Colley and Paul Dulac, former interim school superintendent and current interim Edgartown School principal, and Carlin Hart, Oak Bluffs School assistant principal.

The final selection of a principal to replace Ed Jerome, who retired in November after 26 years, will be made by James Weiss, superintendent of Martha's Vineyard Public Schools.

A new school principal is expected to be appointed in late January with a start date of July 1, 2006. The salary range for the position is $97,000 to $110,000.

The committee will interview Mr. Colley and Mr. Dulac on Wednesday and candidates Elana Aitken, Mr. Hart, Donna Leep and Lisa Sheffield on Thursday. The interviews will be held at the Edgartown School, starting at 3 pm. They are open to the public.

Mr. Colley is a familiar face in the Martha's Vineyard School system. He had worked in the Island school system for eight years before being named principal of the Chilmark School in 2001. He was assistant superintendent for business affairs in 2000-01, then served in Chilmark for three years. He was assistant principal in Oak Bluffs for a few years as well, before going to superintendent's office.

Mr. Colley resigned from the Chilmark principalship one month before the start of the 2004-2005 school year, when his three-year contract expired and he was offered a one-year contract.

Following his resignation, Mr. Colley departed for Latham, New York, to take a one-year principal's position.

Mr. Dulac has traveled through the administrative system during his short Island tenure. He arrived last year to take over as interim superintendent following the departure of former superintendent Kriner Cash. This spring, with little public discussion, he was named interim principal of the Edgartown School effective Aug. 15, 2005, through June 30, 2006, at a salary of $104,000 annually, following the announcement that Mr. Jerome would retire.

Mr. Hart has been the assistant principal at Oak Bluffs School since 2001. Before coming to Martha's Vineyard, he worked as an elementary school teacher and an assistant principal in Fairfax, Va., for 10 years.

Ms. Leep lives in South Egremont and has been the superintendent of the Farmington River Regional School District, grades K to 12, since 2003.

Ms. Aitken, an Edgartown summer resident for 25 years, currently serves as the clinical director of the Hampshire Educational Collaborative in Northampton. She has worked as a teacher and in special education.

Ms. Sheffield, a resident of Wellesley, is an adjunct professor at Ashland University in Ohio, teaching a variety of educational workshops. She holds a doctorate in leadership and a master's degree in educational leadership.

Members of the principal search committee include Fred Condon, Pam Dolby, Edgartown's town administrator; Grace Jette, Tamara King, Stacy Wallace, Deirdre Morriss; Barbara Bernstein, Edgartown School guidance counselor; Ellie Parece; Anne Fligor, assistant principal; Laury Binney, Oak Bluffs principal; David Rossi of the Edgartown school committee, and Mr. Weiss.