Photo: Mary Lee Burbank Elementary

A pair of veteran educators were named interim principals at the Belmont schools where they once were classroom teachers in announcements made by the Belmont School District on Thursday, Dec. 2.

Brenda Maurao and Julie Babson, who both taught third graders – Maurao from 2000 to 2005 and Babson from 2010 to 2016 – at the Mary Lee Burbank and Daniel Butler elementary, respectively, are returning to their former schools but now as the educator in charge.

After saying back in November the district would “do our best to ensure that we hire the qualified and capable principal that your children deserve,” Superintendent John Phelan said in an email to parents of both schools that “I believe we have made good on that promise.”

Each of the candidates came from an initial pool of 19 applicants and were the preference of parents/guardians, school staffs, and the district’s leadership team during the interview process, said Phelan.

Both Maurao and Babson will be in their posts until the end of next school year on June 30, 2023 as the search for a permanent replacements will commence in 2022. Offering an extended 18 month interim tenure “was a critical part of attracting a candidate as highly qualified as Julie to leave her current position in the middle of this year” while providing each school community “consistency during this important time,” said Phelan.

In the coming days the district will be releasing information about “Meet and Greet” opportunities when and where the community can meet the new interim principals.

Background: Brenda Maurao

Maurao comes to the Burbank from the Framingham Public Schools where she is the Assistant Director of Talent Growth and Development. Prior to that she served as the Assistant Director of Elementary Education and as an Elementary Principal in Framingham for three years. Additional school leadership work includes as Principal at the K-3 Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham and as an Assistant Principal from 2012-2017 at the Fred W. Miller School in Holliston.

She was an elementary classroom teacher for 13 years from 1999-2012 which included Grade 3 classroom leadership experiences in Holliston, Arlington and Belmont.

Maurao grew up in Massachusetts and spent her high school years in Connecticut, matriculating at Western Connecticut State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Human Relations in 1996. After college she attended the University of Bridgeport where she received her Master’s Degree in 1998 in the field of Elementary Education. She holds a Principal’s Certification from Lesley University. 

Background: Julie Babson

Julie is currently the Assistant Principal at the Hopkins Elementary School in the Hopkinton Public School system, where she has worked for the past five years. Prior to that she was an elementary classroom teacher in Grades 2, 3, and 5, a career that spanned 21 years from 1995-2016, the last seven at the Butler. She also taught in Lawrence and Colombia.

Babson grew up in Delaware and attended the University of New Hampshire where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies in 1993. She earned her Master’s Degree from UNH in Elementary Education with a concentration in Reading and Writing in 1994. She holds a Principal’s Certification from Endicott College.