An elementary school principal from Springfield and an assistant superintendent from Ipswich are in the final running for the Oak Bluffs School principal job.

John Rizzo is currently serving as principal of the Milton Bradley School in Springfield, and Phyllis Dubina is acting assistant superintendent for the Beverly public schools.

Incoming Vineyard schools superintendent Matthew D’Andrea who confirmed the finalists Friday afternoon, said both are highly qualified for the job. “Both have experience as a principal and in a central office, and both are very child centered,” he said. “They really seem to me to understand the importance of relationships in the position.”

The candidates are scheduled to visit the school on Monday and Tuesday to meet parents and faculty members. Mr. Rizzo will visit on Monday and Ms. Dubina will visit Tuesday. The sessions are open to the public and will be held in the school library from 2 to 3 p.m. “I’m excited to hear the feedback,” Mr. D’Andrea said.

He said he hopes to make a decision by the end of the week.

Mr. D’Andrea takes over for retiring superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss this summer and the Oak Bluffs appointment will mark one of his first major decisions. After he was chosen to be the next superintendent earlier this year, he chose Oak Bluffs principal Richard Smith to take his position as assistant superintendent.

Mr. D’Andrea said the search for the Oak Bluffs principal began with 34 candidates and the field was narrowed to nine. Later after some finalists dropped out the search committee returned to the pool of original applicants, he said.

The search committee included staff, parents and a wide array of community members including civic leaders and spokesmen for the Wampanoag tribe and the Brazilian community.

“We did have to go back into the pool but it was a very good process with a search committee that was committed to finding the right person for the job,” Mr. D’Andrea said. “They were patient — nobody wanted to rush in and get this done for convenience sake. It was very important for the school, they were willing to put in the time to make the right choice.”

The outgoing principal Mr. Smith was formerly principal at the Tisbury School; in 2011 he was tapped by Mr. Weiss to take the top post at the Oak Bluffs School. At the time the school had struggled to meet the state standards for performance and has earned a label as an under-performing school due to low scores on the MCAS.

Now, Mr. D’Andrea said the next principal in Oak Bluffs will be taking over a school that is in excellent shape.

“The Oak Bluffs School is doing so well; what Richie has done there is terrific,” he said. “We really want to keep that going. We really want someone who understands how to develop systems that ensure we are meeting the needs of all the students ... teachers need time to collaborate, work together, problem solve. And we really someone who understands the importance of developing relationships with students, staff and parents based on trust and respect.”