BCH: School Committee taps Entwistle for Super

The Belmont Citizen Herald is reporting that the School Committee has tapped George Entwistle, the Superintendent of Falmouth, Maine, as its choice to head Belmont’s Public School system starting next year. Entwistle was one of two finalists, along with Ashland Superintendent Richard Hoffman, and won unanimous support from School Committee members, who responded especially to Entwistle’s record as a consensus builder in Falmouth, a highly ranked school district in the state that serves around 2,100 students. The School Committee’s voted to offer Entwistle a contract, with a provision that a mutually agreeable contract must be executed within 10 days, BCH reported.

Having attended  Q&A sessions that the SC had with Entwistle and Hoffman, I’m pleased with the choice — though both candidates were impressive. I though Entwistle responded thoughtfully to the questions that the audience asked — including a question from me about his previous go-around with the Sharon school district. As the head of a high achieving school district in Maine, I think Entwistle is well prepared for the high expectations of Belmont families for their schoold and their children. But — as others have said — he also seems like a bridge builder rather than a bomb thrower, which will serve him well in dealings with the Warrant Committee, Selectmen and the town in general.