Bufagna will be schools new Business Administrator

Published July 25, 2019

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD — Christine Bufagna, currently Director of Budget and Finance for the Lawrence school system, will be joining the Wakefield Public Schools leadership team next month. Bufagna will succeed Michael Pfifferling as the next Business Administrator for the Wakefield Public Schools. Pfifferling has accepted a position with the Haverhill Public Schools.

CHRISTINE BUFAGNA

School Superintendent Douglas Lyons recommended Bufagna as the the next school Business Administrator and the School Committee ratified the appointment at its meeting on Tuesday. Bufagna will join Lyons, Assistant Superintendent Kara Mauro and other members of the Central Office staff in late August.

Lyons said that in Lawrence, Bufagna oversaw a $200 million school budget covering 25 public schools in that district. He said that after two interviews, he was impressed with Bufagna’s technical skills and her ability to work closely with school principals in Lawrence. He said that it was clear that Bufagna’s professional experience and “core values” matched well with the those of the Wakefield Public Schools.

Lyons said that references offered glowing recommendations of Bufagna, saying that she “makes everything she touches better.” She has been relied on heavily by school administrators in Lawrence and had demonstrated an ability to forecast budgets out several years, Lyons added.

Bufagna said that she was excited to be coming to Wakefield and  acknowledged that she had “huge shoes to fill” in replacing Pfifferling.

She said that working in Lawrence has been a great experience, “but there comes a time to move on. When I met Doug and Kara (Mauro) and the team, it just felt right.”