Hopkinton — At a May 2, 2025, meeting broadcast remotely, Hopkinton School Committee members and district leaders discussed a plan to place Assistant Principal Justin Pomminville in the Hopkinton High School principal role on a one-year interim basis and to backfill the assistant principal role with educator Sarah Ellum. The committee did not record a formal vote on the proposed staffing moves during the public session.

Dr. Cavanagh, who said she will remain superintendent through June 30, told the committee the district is “unable to do anything with that position until, of course, our former high school principal officially has a signed contract,” and that she and incoming Superintendent Evan Bishop had been “collaborating on this process.” She summarized the district’s recommendation as proposing “for a one-year interim position, we move Assistant Principal Justin Pomminville into the principal role at the high school.”

The nut of the discussion centered on continuity and timing. District leaders told the committee the candidate pool late in the school year often thins and that moving an experienced internal candidate into an interim role would preserve stability while the district completes leadership transitions. The district said it plans to send an announcement to the high school community on Monday to outline the new roles and responsibilities.

Details provided during the discussion say Pomminville has worked at the high school for about 11 years. The proposed internal backfill for his assistant-principal duties is Sarah Ellum, an educator who has worked at Hopkinton High School for 23 years, is a resident of Hopkinton and graduated from the high school. District staff characterized both as well-known to students, families and faculty.

Committee members asked about posting and hiring process questions. One member asked whether the interim roles would be posted and how an interim move could later become permanent. Dr. Cavanagh recommended checking with the district’s legal counsel on converting an interim appointment to a permanent hire and noted there is precedent in the district for initially appointing leaders on an interim basis and later proceeding with a different process if desired. The committee also referenced a recent example in another district where a permanent superintendent was named without a broader search.

The meeting opened with and then returned from an executive session held under authority of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 38, Section 21A(2), and the executive-session motion and the subsequent motion to adjourn were approved by roll call. The public discussion that followed about the high school staffing was framed as a transparency briefing and planning conversation rather than a final approval. No motion to appoint Pomminville or Ellum to the interim roles appears in the public record of this meeting.

Several committee members and district leaders praised Pomminville’s relationships with students and staff and said internal continuity would serve the school during the leadership transition. Committee members also noted other leaders at the school, including Assistant Principal Laura Tice and Student Services Director Jess Beatty, and emphasized communication with faculty and families as a next step.

Next steps described in the discussion include: finalizing any contract matters for the outgoing principal (the district said it cannot act on the hire until that contract is signed), consulting legal counsel about converting interim appointments to permanent status, sending a district communication to the high school community, and completing any required personnel paperwork. No timeline for converting an interim appointment to permanent status was set during the meeting.

For clarity: the May 2 public session recorded committee discussion and planning about proposed interim staffing moves at Hopkinton High School but did not record a formal approval or permanent appointment for either position.