Peabody Chooses New School Superintendent

PEABODY, MA -- Peabody's long search for a new superintendent ended close to home Tuesday night when the school committee unanimously voted to name Assistant Superintendent Cara Murtagh to lead the district. Murtagh will replace interim superintendent Herb Levine. She was chosen a day after the committee completed interviews with five candidates.

The other candidates were Wilmington Assistant Superintendent Sean Gallagher, Weymouth Assistant Superintendent Susan Kustka, Medford High School Headmaster John Perella, and Boston Public Schools Instructional Superintendent Alexandra Montes-McNeil.

Last year's superintendent search came up short when it got off to a late start, meaning many candidates had already accepted new positions by the time the Peabody School Committee made a decision. Levine served as superintendent for seven years before retiring in 2005. he was named interim superintendent after Joseph Mastrocola left at the end of the 2014-15 school year. According to budget documents, Murtagh, 42, will earn between $175,000 and $190,000 annually.

Murtagh has served in her current position since 2012. Her father, John "Jack" Murtagh, was principal of the Kiley School for 23 years. Previously, she had spent eight years as an elementary school principal.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).