Retired principal named interim head of Fitzgerald Elementary

By Megan McKee, Town Correspondent

The head of the Waltham schools announced today that an interim principal has been picked for the Fitzgerald Elementary School.

Charles McInnis, a retired elementary school principal who has headed schools in Framingham and Winchester, starts work next Tuesday and will stay for the whole school year.

"He's highly regarded," said temporary assistant superintendent Anne Marie Carr-Reardon in an interview. "He had been a teacher for many years, then took administrative jobs."

Carr-Reardon is running the school system while officials search for a permanent replacement for Peter Azar, who abruptly resigned as superintendent Aug. 11.

Fitzgerald has been without a principal since Alice Shull retired at the end of last school year. Since then, there have been two unsuccessful search rounds.

In the first round, the search committee found no suitable candidates. And in the second round, the top candidate turned down the job offer.

School started on Wednesday with the district's fine arts director, Douglas Trudeau, filling in as principal.

Megan McKee can be reached at megan.mckee@gmail.com.