SCARBOROUGH – With the retirement of longtime Wentworth Intermediate School Principal Anne-Mayre Dexter, a search committee made up of other Scarborough school leaders has been created to find her replacement.

Superintendent George Entwistle said this week that the school department has “spent a great deal of time and effort in creating a selection process for (new) school leaders that is very comprehensive and inclusive of all of the stakeholder groups.”

He said the search committee for Wentworth’s new principal includes the school’s Assistant Principal Kelli Crosby, middle school Principal Barbara Hathorn, Eight Corners Principal Anne Lovejoy and special services director Alison Marchese.

The process has also included surveys of staff and parents, according to Entwistle. The survey was specifically designed to determine the “priority attributes sought in a new principal,” he added.

Overall, Entwistle said, “We are looking for a school leader who can provide effective leadership to the ongoing improvement of teaching and learning at Wentworth School, one who is capable of building a strong and positive culture for learning, teaching and inclusiveness in the new Wentworth, and a school leader who will become immersed in the Wentworth School community. A tall order, but we are confident that we will be successful in finding someone who can fill Anne Mayre’s very big shoes.”

In addition to the survey, the search committee plans to conduct “careful screening of applications, highly structured interviews, including participants representing the faculty and parents, and to visit the candidates’ schools,” Entwistle said.

Ideally, he said, a new principal for Wentworth would be selected and ready to start on July 1, which is the start of the new academic year. But, Entwistle said that with the late start in looking for a new school leader, it could be difficult to meet the July 1 deadline.

“Anne-Mayre decided to retire as family news of new grandchildren on-the-way emerged,” he said. “And while we are thrilled for Anne-Mayre and her family, we were a bit late in getting out to the employment market where many local principal searches were already well under way or even completed.”

Due to the late start in looking for Dexter’s replacement, Entwistle said, “It is important for the community to understand that we will only hire a principal, at this late date, if we are absolutely sure that he or she is the best school leader that we can find for Wentworth.”

He said if the current search is not successful, Wentworth would still have “a strong and capable team in place” to open the new school this fall and to “provide the leadership needed until we are able to find a permanent (school) leader.”

When it comes to Dexter and her 18-year tenure at Wentworth, Entwistle said, “Anne Mayre has been a tireless advocate for the Wentworth community. She has had an extraordinary career in school leadership. She is a highly valued member of our leadership team and a highly valued colleague.”

He added, “We will miss Anne-Mayre very much but also are excited for her as she leaves for what we all know will be a very active and very fulfilling retirement.”