Newport Harbor names new principal

The principal at Laguna Hills High School will take the top job at Newport Harbor High School, schools officials said Wednesday.

Sean Boulton will become principal at Harbor, pending final school board approval, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District announced.

“Newport Harbor High School is one of those rare places where history, community and educational excellence come together,” Boulton said in a news release. “I cannot wait to meet students, teachers, parents and members of the educational community.”

The campus has been without a top administrator since June, when then-Principal Michael Vossen accepted a job as a district administrator.

A news release from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District praised Boulton for growing the International Baccalaureate program at Laguna Hills and raising the API scores from 779 to 854 out of 1,000 since 2008.

Boulton previously worked in Newport-Mesa as a teacher at Ensign Intermediate School and assistant principal at Estancia High School.

Boulton was chosen through a recruitment process that included surveys of parents and staff about what kind of principal they thought Harbor needed. Some parents and staff were also included on interview panels.

School board members are scheduled to vote on hiring Boulton at their Aug. 27 meeting.

Newport-Mesa is still working with the Saddleback Valley Unified School District on Boulton’s start date.