By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The School Committee sparred over how a former administrator’s departure was handled during an Aug. 21 meeting.

Former Chelmsford-based McCarthy Middle School seventh and eighth grade English teacher Dana Courtney was recently hired to serve as Lynnfield Middle School’s new assistant principal. She succeeded former Assistant Principal Jeremy Greenwood, who worked at LMS for the past two years. Greenwood was recently named as Arlington-based Thompson Elementary School’s assistant principal.

School Committee member Jamie Hayman criticized Superintendent Tom Geary for not informing families that Greenwood left LMS.

“If there are leadership changes at a school, we should be transparent about it with parents,” said Hayman. “I was really disappointed that an assistant principal, a leader in this district, can leave, we can do a whole search and we can hire someone without anything going out to parents. That’s what happened at the middle school. Tom and I have talked about it, and I get it and understand what is going on.”

Hayman said school officials should notify families about administrator departures moving forward.

“That would be my preference in the future,” said Hayman.

Geary disagreed with Hayman’s viewpoint.

“I guess we have a disagreement on expectations,” said Geary. “I wasn’t going to announce anyone until I had a signed contract, a CORI check for our children and fingerprints. I can’t control what goes out on the Internet, but I am certainly not going to announce it until it’s ironclad locked. You can go back to the announcement of a departure, and debate what needs to be announced. That’s fine. We probably need to welcome more discussion about it, but that was the thought process in that regard.”

Hayman said his concerns were not about Courtney’s appointment and were about when “someone decides to leave the district.”

“Our parents and our students are essentially our customers,” said Hayman. “They deserve the right to know this person is leaving and this is the process we are going to take to replace them. And when we are ready to make an announcement, we will announce it. This is less about the announcement and more about making it clear when people are leaving.”

Geary said he and Hayman can “agree to disagree on the process.”

School Committee member Jim Dillon said it is “customary not to announce a hire because you would be putting that person at-risk.”

“That is protecting the applicant,” said Dillon.

Hayman reiterated that his concerns “had nothing to do” with someone signing a contract.

“It is about when people are leaving and what we are doing to replace them,” said Hayman.

School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio said she was “open” to Hayman’s “feedback.”

“I think we want to be thoughtful and have further conversation about it, but that is not something under our purview,” said DePrizio. “That is operational and is up to the principals and the superintendent. I think having a conversation about how we lay those things out would be a fair conversation to have with them. It wasn’t like there was a violation of School Committee involvement or there was some process violation. Those are things that are under the purview of the principals and the superintendent.”

Hayman said school officials “clearly” communicated the process to students and families after former Lynnfield High School Assistant Principal Brian Bates and former LMS Assistant Principal Tom Sallee left their respective positions in the past.

“And when we were ready to make the announcement, the superintendent made the announcement,” said Hayman.

School Committee Vice Chair Kristen Grieco Elworthy said she was informed that former Summer Street School Principal Dr. Karen Dwyer was leaving three years ago after she sent an email to families.

“There was no information as to what was happening next,” said Elworthy. “The email was really jarring actually as a parent. I do not think that was a confidence boosting moment.”

Elworthy said Geary is “new at the helm,” and suggested that he think about how the process should work “moving forward.”

“That would make it clear to everyone so that everyone has the same expectations,” said Elworthy. “I think having a process is the important piece.”

While working as a teacher and principal at Masconoment Regional Middle School, Dillon said there was “no announcement made to the community when a teacher quit.”

“This is the vice principal at the middle school, which is an administrative position, but it is not a principal,” said Dillon. “It’s a vice principal. I have never seen a process where a teacher leaves, and some announcement is made to the parents about the process for hiring a new teacher.”

Hayman said he was “not talking about teachers.”

“I am talking about administrators,” said Hayman.

In addition to Courtney joining the Lynnfield Public Schools team, the district is also welcoming Assistant Superintendent Adam Federico, Interim Student Services Director Lydia Rundell-Gjerde, Huckleberry Hill School Principal Lauren King, Educational Technology Department Head Rochelle Cooper, Summer Street School Special Services Team Chair/Preschool Director Alexandria Pierre and LMS Interim Special Services Team Chair Wendy Leone.

Rundell-Gjerde, Cooper and Leone have had other jobs while working for the School Department. Federico, who previously served as LMS’ assistant principal from 2008-2012, will return to the district on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“We have lots of new additions,” said Geary. “Everybody is up to speed and is ready to go.”