A fourth-grade teacher in the Concord public school system and an Edgartown School third-grade teacher are the final two candidates vying to become the Chilmark School’s first new principal in 15 years.

Each of the finalists will soon take part in a full day of meetings and interviews, including an open session with parents, Island superintendent Richie Smith told the up-Island school committee Monday night. There were 12 applicants and the committee interviewed seven prospectives before narrowing it down to the two finalists, Mr. Smith said.

Kate Squire, of the Willard School in Concord, is expected to visit Feb. 16, while Edgartown School teacher Alicia Knight is scheduled for Feb. 20. Both days will include attending the all-student morning circle, meetings with school staff and community leaders and a 10 a.m. coffee with parents at the Chilmark Community Center, Mr. Smith told the committee.

He said Ms. Squire and Ms. Knight both hold the required degrees and administrative licenses to become the K-5 school’s principal, succeeding longtime head of school Susan Stevens after she retires in June.

Ms. Knight lives in Chilmark, where she is a member of the Friends of Chilmark Preschool, which operates partly under the Chilmark School roof.

A home for Ms. Squire, should she become principal, is in the works, Mr. Smith said.

“We feel like there’s some real promise to secure housing,” he said.

After Ms. Stevens announced her retirement last fall, the school system began its search for a new principal in December with the help of the New England School Development Council, Mr. Smith said.

The job of reviewing applications and holding preliminary in-person interviews was conducted by a search committee including Mr. Smith, West Tisbury principal Donna Lowell-Bettencourt, school committee member Robert Lionette, members of the Chilmark School’s parent-teacher organization (PTO), school advisory council and teachers union, as well as representatives from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), the NAACP of MV, the MVYouth and Island Grown Schools, Mr. Smith said.

The final decision is up to the superintendent.

“I’m the one who will offer the position,” Mr. Smith said.


The school committee previously approved the full-year, 260-day job, budgeting a salary of $150,000.