PITTSFIELD -- Tracey Benson, the principal at Pittsfield High School since 2010, is leaving at the end of the current school year to continue his education, Superintendent of Schools Gordon L. Noseworthy said Wednesday.

Benson informed staff members of his decision during the morning, Noseworthy said.

School Committee member Kathleen Amuso said Benson, who has talked about his goal of obtaining another degree, will attend Harvard in the fall.

"Before he was hired we had quite a bit of instability in the position," she said. "He has brought stability, and the school is in a good place now."

Noseworthy said the superintendent appoints principals, and he plans to immediately commence a search for candidates.

Benson was vice principal at Herberg Middle School before being named to the PHS post. He replaced interim Principal JoAnne Soules, who had come out of retirement when Principal Christopher Sposato left in 2009.

Benson was appointed by former Superintendent Howard "Jake" Eberwein III from a list of four finalists recommended by a search committee. Benson was hired at $92,000 per year, beginning in August 2010.

Benson came to Pittsfield in 2008 from the school system in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he worked for a year developing prevention programs.

Over the previous six years, he was an assistant principal and elementary school teacher in North Carolina and an elementary school teacher in Texas. He is a native of Milwaukee.

Advertisement

To reach Jim Therrien:
jtherrien@berkshireeagle.com,
or (413) 496-6247
On Twitter: @BE_therrien