SCARBOROUGH – If offered the position of superintendent with the Lexington Public Schools in Massachusetts, George Entwistle, who heads the Scarborough School Department, said he would take the post, assuming a contract is successfully negotiated.

Margaret Coppe, chairwoman of the Lexington School Committee, confirmed that Entwistle is one of three finalists for the superintendent position and said the school board intends to make its final decision late Friday afternoon after a week of site visits by the final three candidates.

Coppe said Entwistle was scheduled to make his visit to the district on Wednesday, Dec. 17, for a full-day tour of the schools and to meet with members of the school department, as well as the town manager and senior staff. She said the day would culminate with an informal public reception and a formal interview with the School Committee.

Entwistle was hired as the superintendent in Scarborough in 2011, and this week told the Current he was “strongly encouraged to apply to the position (in Lexington),” adding, “From everything that I know about the (school district), I believe that my skills are an excellent match.”

Both Entwistle and Donna Beeley, chairwoman of the Scarborough Board of Education, said members of the school governing board were fully informed that he is a finalist for the superintendent’s position in Lexington.

“Dr. Entwistle was recruited for the position in Lexington,” adding “no decision has been made. He is just one of three applicants,” Beeley said.

She also said, “I would hate to lose Dr. Entwistle. He continues to provide exceptional leadership, particularly in the area of professional development with staff. In a way, it is a compliment to Dr. Entwistle and to Scarborough that we have a superintendent that is so well thought of in Massachusetts.”

Entwistle said, “In the event that I become Lexington’s superintendent I would complete my duties here in Scarborough on June 30 and begin my new duties on July 1.”

However, he also said, “Regardless of the outcome of the Lexington search, I will remain fully committed to the Scarborough schools and remain fully engaged in our important, ongoing work. I am very proud of the work of the Scarborough school staff, school leaders and school board.”

When asked what he is most proud of during his three years leading the Scarborough schools, Entwistle said, “There are many improvements that have me feeling very proud.

“We have begun a critical rebuilding of our academic programs to better prepare students for college and careers, advanced the effectiveness of professional learning for our instructional staff, engaged the larger community in our school improvement planning through community dialogues, and we have, overall, improved the quality and efficiency of our programs, systems and operations,” he said.

The other two finalists for the position of school superintendent in Lexington, according to the school department’s website, are Mary Czajkowski, the superintendent for the Barnstable, Mass., School Department, and Kaine Osburn, deputy superintendent of the Naperville Community School District in Illinois.

Entwistle was hired as the superintendent in Scarborough three years ago following the abrupt departure of David Doyle, a longtime administrator with the school department.

He first began pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership while serving on the Cape Elizabeth School Board and earned his degree from Boston University in 2000. His first school administrator job was as the assistant superintendent in Camden.

Following a short stint in Camden, Entwistle was hired as the superintendent in Falmouth in 2004, and he was the superintendent of schools in Belmont, Mass., prior to being hired in Scarborough.

The Scarborough School Department oversees six schools – a high school, middle school, intermediate school and three primary schools. Its current budget is approximately $42 million and there are about 3,300 students enrolled district-wide.

The historic town of Lexington, Mass., is located about 15 miles northwest of Boston. The school district has a budget of $86 million and a total enrollment of 6,600 students, according to Coppe.

She said that the school district oversees nine schools – a high school, two middle schools and six elementary schools. According to its website, the school district first began its search for a new superintendent in October.

George Entwistle became the superintendent of the Scarborough School Department three years ago. This week he is interviewing for the head of schools post in Lexington, Mass.