Laura Montgomery was appointed the new principal of Hightower Trail Middle School this week by the Cobb Board of Education. 

Montgomery, who had been the assistant principal of the East Cobb school, will be succeeding Dr. Hilda Wilkins, who announced her retirement this spring. 

Montgomery's appointment is effective July 1, when the Cobb County School District's fiscal year 2013 begins. 

Hightower Trail, located on Post Oak Tritt Road, has an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students in grades 6-8 and is a feeder for nearby Pope High School. 

Pope also has a principal vacancy since Rick Beaulieu has been named an assistant area superintendent for the school system. The school board did not make a decision on the Pope opening during its public work session on Wednesday, but action is expected by the board's business meeting on June 28.

The board also discussed its financial situation, which includes some more positive estimates than had been previously projected, according to a report in The Marietta Daily Journal.