Russo named acting principal
Published on July 18th, 2007
School officials selected Asst. Principal Edward Russo to head-up Stoneham High School next year in the wake of veteran Principal Dr. Thomas Ryan's late retirement from the post late last spring.
Russo, a 35 year teaching and administration veteran, looked forward to the change, and hoped that he can make the transition as smooth as possible.
"I'm very excited about it. I've been a vice principal for 20 years and I've worked under two principals, Tom Ryan and Bill Hoyt. Hopefully, I can take what I've learned under those two men and make this a smooth transition for the students, teachers, and parents this year."
According to School Committee Chairwoman Maureen Soley, herself a former Stoneham school system principal, she has extreme confidence in the long-time administrator's abilities to fill the role until a permanent replacement for Ryan is located.
Ryan, who announced his retirement last May, served 24 years in the post before stepping down. The long-time principal submitted his resignation just months after he lost a bid to replace retired Supt. Dr. Joseph Connelly.
"I've known Ed almost all the time he's been in Stoneham," said Soley of Ryan's temporary replacement. "He's very bright, caring, and experienced. So it will be a very smooth transition, I'm sure."
"He'll provide some real stability for everybody, including staff and students," the School Committee Chair added, when asked if she was pleased that a veteran in-house administrator would be heading up the high school. "He's really approachable and accommodating whenever any parents or staff need anything."
According to Soley and Schools' Supt. Dr. Les Olson, although the high school principal vacancy was advertised shortly after Ryan announced his departure, very few applicants applied for the position.
After determining that none of those candidates possessed the necessary qualifications to assume the administrator's role, the School Committee decided to search in-house for a temporary replacement.
School officials plan to re-advertise later on in the school year.
"We did advertise for both the middle school and the high school principals at the same time. We got quite the pool [of applicants] for the middle school, but at the high school, we only got four or five."
"It was so late in the school year, it wasn't a representative sample," Olson explained in a separate interview. "I was very pleased to see Ed Russo put his name in [for acting principal]. He clearly has a working knowledge of the high school. And he has an outstanding personal reputation."
According to Olson, who also believes that Russo will bring stability to the high school at a time when there's a vacuum of seasoned administrators across the district, the asst. principal would have likely been named Ryan's permanent replacement, had he applied for the position in June.
However, Olson also understood Russo's initial reluctance to make the jump to the position, as it is clearly a much more demanding job.
"I always knew he was prepared, the question was whether he was ready to make that step," said Olson. "If he had applied at the time we were looking for a permanent principal, I'm sure he would have risen to the top of that search as well."
As with the principal's position, school officials will also search for an in-house candidate to fill Russo's former post for the upcoming school year. The superintendent hopes to name that finalist by as early as next week. However, according to Olson, he will be exploring the possibility of combining the asst. principal's job with the athletic director vacancy.
Shortly after Ryan announced his retirement, Athletic Director Mike Lahiff accepted an offer in Watertown to head-up that sports program vacancy.
"Where not sure where that's going to end up, but it is a goal given where we are financially. But a lot of what happens will depend on the people who apply, their skills, and whether they can step into that expanded role," said Olson.
"The right person could do it [serve as both Athletic Director and Asst. Principal]. I have seen it done effectively in some schools and done not so right in others."
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