SCARBOROUGH – On a night when the accomplishments of the Scarborough High School state champions in wrestling, boys and girls indoor track, speech and debate and Academic Decathlon were recognized, new Superintendent George Entwistle was able to see first hand the successes in the district he would soon be leading.

Entwistle, a Cape Elizabeth resident now working as the superintendent of schools in Belmont, Mass., was unanimously approved by the Board of Education March 17. He begins July 1 and will be paid $132,000. Entwistle will replace Jo Anne Sizemore, who has been interim superintendent since David Doyle resigned from the superintendent’s post in late 2010. Sizemore will return to her role as assistant superintendent for the 2011-2012 school year.

Entwistle, who earned a doctorate in education from Boston University in 2000, has eight years of experience in school administration. For five years he served as the superintendent in Falmouth. He also worked as the assistant superintendent in School Administrative District 28 in Camden. He served on the Cape Elizabeth School Board from 1996 to 2003, when he took the assistant superintendent position in SAD 28.

Prior to getting his start in educational administration, Entwistle worked in the mental health field as a psychologist, as well as 12 years in private business.

Board member John Cole said Entwistle met his top three criteria he was looking for in a new superintendent, which included a person who was a visionary, a good communicator and an effective leader.

“This gives us a good blend of new leadership and institutional know-how to ensure students are prepared to face challenges after Scarborough High School,” he said.

Board member Aymie Hardesty said Entwistle stood out because of his background in the mental health field.

“One of the things that is exciting to me personally is there is a strong mental health background and a desire to look at the whole child,” said Hardesty.

One of the first things he plans on doing when he begins in July, he said, is to reach out to the public.

“The big first step,” he told the board last week, “is facilitating a conversation with the public about the future of the schools and make sure we all understand what those expectations are.”

At the meeting, Entwistle also had a chance to hear public comments about the proposed 2011-12 budget.

“I don’t hear those as complaints,” he said of the comments. “I hear that as people speaking up about what is important to them, but the conversation can’t be just from a few people. It needs to include all stakeholders, especially the students.”

George Entwistle of Cape Elizabeth will take over as superintendent of Scarborough schools July 1.