Published in the March 29, 2018 edition
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Three finalists for the position of Superintendent of Schools have been named and will be publicly interviewed by the School Committee at their April 5 meeting.
Search Committee Chairman Thomas Markham announced the names at Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting.
The three finalists are:
Jared Fugoni, Assistant Superintendent of the Haverhill Public Schools. Susan Kustka, Assistant Superintendent of the Weymouth Public Schools. Douglas Lyons, Assistant Superintendent of the Wakefield Public Schools.Current Wakefield Superintendent Dr. Kim Smith has announced that she will retire effective June 30.
Markham said that the reputation of the Wakefield Public Schools drew a high level of interest in the superintendent position. The 28 applicants was a much higher number than are typically seen for this type of position, he said, adding that it “speaks well of our school system.”
He said that the Search Committee culled the number down to 10 and then six of those were invited in for interviews. After further deliberations, the Search Committee chose the three finalists.
Markham stressed that the remainder of the process will be conducted in public. He recommended inviting the three finalists to come to Wakefield on Thursday, April 5 (not necessarily at the same time) to tour the schools and get to know the staff and the town. He asked if any School Committee members would be interested in hosting a lunch for the candidates on that day. He also proposed holding a public “meet and greet” with the candidates as part of the schedule of activities on April 5.
School Committee members indicated that they were on board with the timetable laid out by Markham.
A School Committee vote to choose the next Superintendent of Wakefield Public Schools is expected on April 17.
