PVMHS Principal Finalists Would All Bring Wealth of Experience to Job

All three finalists for the job of Peabody High Principal boast an impressive resume of experience in public education.

Peabody native Eric Buckley, who is currently the assistant principal at PVMHS, has worked in the district for 22 years, starting out as a full-time substitute teacher.

Except for a year as an eighth grade U.S. history teacher and cross country and track coach at Higgins Middle School, Buckley has spent his entire career at the high school in both teaching and administrative roles.

He's also coached Little League, been a member of the Peabody Historical Society and a mainstay in the Peabody Relay for Life. .

He was promoted to Assistant Principal in 2007 when Ed Sapienza was tapped to take over as Principal.

Buckley, a graduate of Bishop Fenwick High School, also has degrees from Assumption College and Salem State. He is also pursuing another master's degree from the American College of Education.

He will be publicly interviewed first by Superintendent Joe Mastrocola on Jan. 28. Mastrocola has also set aside time for the public to meet and greet the candidates, starting at 3:30 p.m. each day at the Kiley School.

Formal interviews are scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and will occur on the same schedule over the next two days.

Next up on Jan. 29 will be Minuteman Regional High School Assistant Principal John Dillon.

Dillon handles education services at the regional school, where he has worked since 2005. Those duties include supervising admissions, guidance and Title IX programs, as well as other administrative and support staff.

Prior to Minuteman, Dillon was the assistant principal at Maynard High School and has 23 years overall in education, starting out as a substitute teacher at Woburn High School.

He also spent three years working on a state program for second offender drunk driving in Middlesex County in the 1990s.

Dillon has degrees from Bridgewater State and Cambridge College.

The third candidate to be interviewed will be Swampscott High School Principal Layne Millington on Jan. 30.

Millington started teaching high school science 20 years ago in Vermont, but then moved to Massachusetts and after two years at Wakefield High School, ventured into the private sector.

He worked at Mellon Financial in management roles for three years and then returned to education in 2003 at Georgetown High School. He was also an assistant principal at Belmont High before arriving in Swampscott in 2010.

Millington has degrees from Castleton State College and a certificate from Salem State.