SAU 57 Announces Sweeping Personnel Shifts

Principal Maura Palmer will be nominated to replace retiring SAU 57 Assistant Superintendent Edith Soley starting July 1.

The change was one of several significant personnel shifts announced by the Salem School District in a statement provided to Patch Thursday afternoon.

Palmer, who is in her second year as principal at SHS, has worked in the school district since 1997 and began her administrative career as an assistant principal at .

Palmer has previously served as principal of Woodbury and . She earned her Masters Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of New Hampshire.

"Mrs. Palmer brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding about curriculum, instruction, and assessment to her new role," the district said in the statement.

To replace Palmer, SAU 57 Superintendent Michael Delahanty will nominate SHS Associate Principal Tracy Collyer. Collyer has been with the district since 2002 when she was a math teacher and has developed SHS's Freshman Program.

The district's first-ever director of finance will be current SHS Math and Science Director Deborah Payne, according to the statement. Payne has held her current position since 2004 and began in Salem in 1999 as a high school science teacher.

Bradley St. Germain will move from his current teaching position to replace Payne, according to the statement.

Elsewhere, it was announced George Murray, a former dean of students at SHS and current assistant principal at Woodbury, will replace long-time administrator Susan "Micki" Rhodes as principal of .

"These staff members leave behind difficult roles to fill but offer much promise tocontinue outstanding traditions in their new positions," the district said in the statement.

The nominations will be made at the April 10 meeting of the Salem School Board. All appointments will begin July 1.

Collyer became a Dean of Students in 2007 at SHS and was elevated to Associate Principal in 2010. Collyer earned a Masters in Business Administration from Bentley College in 1992. She earned a degree in Educational Administration and Supervision in 2004.

Payne graduated from Wellesley College with a Mathematics degree and earned a Masters degree in Biomedical Science from Northeastern University.

St. Germain was hired by Salem in 2008 after graduating from Harvard University with a Masters degree in Teaching and Learning. Prior to working at SHS St. Germain was involved with the Teach for America Program. He earned an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Penn State University and has worked extensively on the Freshman Program.

Murray earned his Masters degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Rivier College in 2003.