The 2026-2027 academic year will begin with a new Lower School Principal–the result of an involved search process that began last summer. However, the incoming principal will be a familiar face: current Middle School Principal Steven Bertozzi will be taking on a new, combined role as Lower and Middle School Principal, as announced to the Lower School community on January 5.
Last July, former Lower School Principal Amy Criswell made a personal decision to depart from Milton. School administrators, including Head of School Alixe Callen, immediately began the process of hiring an interim principal while preparing to conduct a search for a permanent one.
At the end of July, Callen called Shelley Jackson, an experienced interim Head of School to invite her to consider the Lower School Principal role. After meeting with Callen, Jackson met with a search committee made up of administrators, faculty, and parents. After what Callen described as “a very competitive search” including six semifinalists and three finalists, the committee ultimately offered Jackson the role.
During the fall, school administrators began the process of looking for a long-term head. Despite a “deep respect and affection” for Milton and her opinion that “the strengths [of the school] are almost too many to name,” she was not looking to stay permanently.
Callen met with Lower School faculty and the Lower School Parents’ Association to learn what qualities they wanted the new Lower School Principal to have. Of 75 initial applicants, the field was narrowed first to 30, then to six semifinalists. The week of January 5 held two events for parents to meet with potential finalists.
However, at the semifinalist stage of the hiring process, the search committee raised concerns about the implications of a new hire. Specifically, Callen and the committee worried about stability in the Lower School. Callen explained, “We would be bringing the fifth [new Lower School Principal] to Milton in the past ten years, and having somebody who would need time to get up to speed and learn everything about the Lower School and Milton might not be the best way forward.” Callen characterized Milton’s administrative turnover as typical, saying “when a new Head of School comes in…just like entering any organization, you have to figure out who are the people you need and what are the right positions, and who are the right people to fulfill those positions.”
Bertozzi noted, however, that the multiple personnel changes in the Lower School Principal role have made it difficult “to really get momentum going on a sense of community and culture.”
Ultimately, Callen suggested that the search committee “think about a different direction,” recommending they meet with Bertozzi as a potential candidate.
After this meeting, Callen said the committee “felt like the stability and the professional expertise and the Milton experience that he would bring to the position was what Milton needed.” Furthermore, the search committee chose not to invite finalists to the school for the parent meet and greets, which were canceled, and they recommended that Bertozzi take on a new, combined role as Lower and Middle School Principal.
Callen explained, “We decided to take a different approach and to appoint somebody.” She continued, “We didn’t have three finalists to bring in for people to meet, and it didn’t seem worth it to go through a process when we felt like we knew what the end result was going to be…[w]e made the announcement, and I’ve been delighted by the response.” According to Callen, this is not the first time that one person has filled both roles at Milton, nor is it uncommon in her experience to have closed searches or appointed positions.
To assist Bertozzi in this new and combined role, he will develop a leadership team including three assistant principals “who will oversee curriculum, teaching, and learning.” This group will likely come from current Milton faculty.
Both Bertozzi and Callen have clear priorities for the combined position. Bertozzi identifies the importance of “making sure we have systems and structures to maintain the unique identities of each division.” Callen agreed with this value, emphasizing that the Lower and Middle Schools will remain separate, despite having the same principal. “Both divisions need to retain their identities,” she said. “We’re not suggesting that this is some new K-8 model.” Bertozzi also wants to streamline the transition between the Lower School and the Middle School, citing parental concerns: “one of the things that we often hear from families is it can feel like a quick and maybe abrupt transition between each of the divisions.”
According to Callen, parents have reached out to express approval of Bertozzi’s appointment. In addition, Jackson communicated the support she has received from school stakeholders. She explained, Bertozzi is excited to “[oversee] the community and culture of the Lower School, both ensuring that there [are] systems and structures in place that will ensure success for students.”
But these two administrators are not alone in their excitement for Bertozzi’s role. Fifth grader Nicky Rufino ‘33 “heard he’s really fun.” He explained, “I’m really excited to have him for three years.”