Salisbury principal offered Amesbury Elementary's top job

Jim Sullivan, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·3 min read

May 18—AMESBURY — The superintendent has found her next Amesbury Elementary School principal, and it turns out she didn't have far to look.

Acting Superintendent Elizabeth McAndrews said Tuesday she has made an offer to Salisbury Elementary School Principal James Montanari to succeed Amesbury Elementary School's current principal, Shannon Nolan, this summer.

"We are sorry to see Shannon go but we are very, very excited at the skills and contributions that James will bring to Amesbury Elementary School, pending successful contract negotiations," McAndrews said.

McAndrews said she was impressed by Montanari's ability to work with and quickly relate to students and staff.

"There were a lot of things about James that stuck out to me," McAndrews said. "First of all, he has 15 years of being an elementary school principal in a neighboring community which is similar in many ways to the community of Amesbury."

McAndrews told the School Committee on May 17 she made an offer to Montanari, who said he had verbally accepted and expects to sit down with the acting superintendent to discuss details on his contract Wednesday.

"This is a great opportunity," Montanari said. "Shannon Nolan had raved about Amesbury. She got me interested and I put my name in, just to see if what she said was true and I am honored to have been selected."

He said the past 16 years in Salisbury have been "a wonderful experience."

"I owe so much to Salisbury and its teachers and the community and the kids," Montanari said. "But they are in a good place now and they will continue to do great things. I'll also be just next door."

Salisbury Elementary is part of the Triton Regional School District. Nolan will be leaving Amesbury to become the administrator of special education for Triton. She also served as an assistant principal at the Salisbury Elementary School under Montanari before making the jump to principal in Haverhill and then Amesbury.

McAndrews also worked as a history teacher as well as dean of students and athletic director in Triton before coming to Amesbury in 2006.

Montanari is coming to the end of his 16th school year as Salisbury Elementary principal and was one of three candidates for the Amesbury job, including Rockport Middle School Principal Heather Castonguay and Cashman Elementary School building coordinator Kate Bissell.

"I am excited to work within the Amesbury leadership and for Elizabeth McAndrews," Montanari said. "I have much respect for her and have seen and read about her career throughout the years. This is a great challenge and I am looking forward to it."

McAndrews was also recently unanimously voted to become the district's full-time superintendent by the School Committee and will drop the "acting" from her title once a contract has been worked out.

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.