North Andover Superintendent Leaving To Lead Buckingham Browne & Nichols In Cambridge

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- Jennifer Price told the North Andover School Committee she would be leaving at the end of the school year to accept a position as headmaster of the private Buckingham Browne & Nichols school in Cambridge. Price had only been in the position since 2015, but recently signed a five-year contract, making her the first head of the North Andover School District to sign on for a second term.

"I know that my departure marks yet another transition in North Andover. However, I know that the School Committee is committed to maintaining the momentum we have created over the last two years," Price said in a letter to the school committee. "We are on a path, in collaboration with the town, that I am confident will continue to improve teaching and learning here in North Andover. I will work very hard this year to continue this progress and to ultimately help the next leader of this district transition into the role."

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Price said she was approached by BB&N in the spring, shortly after signing her new pact with North Andover. She lives in Newton with her wife and their two children.

"Making the decision to leave both North Andover and public education was very difficult for me," she said in a note to families. "In fact, when I was approached about this new position, I initially resisted even the possibility of making this move. Yet in the end, I concluded that this opportunity is one that I should pursue not only for me and my career but also for my family."

Price will have served three years in the position when she steps down, which is shorter than the average tenure for superintendents in Massachusetts. But her time is marked with several high profile accomplishments, including securing funding for an early childhood education center and the implementation of a capstone project for graduating seniors. She also hired a new assistant superintendent of student services, a new director of personnel, and a new athletic director

"She certainly managed to get a lot of things accomplished and underway," School Committee Chairman Amy Mabley said in an interview with the Newburyport Daily News. "The leadership team that’s in place is very focused on what they need to accomplish...We are in a much better place now than we were before she was here."

Photo by North Andover Public Schools.

For more on this story, see the Newburyport Daily News.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851.