Screening Committee Announces Andover Superintendent Finalists

ANDOVER, MA — Two finalists have been picked for Andover's next superintendent, the district screening committee announced Thursday.

The two candidates are Magda Parvey, the chief academic officer of Middletown Public Schools in Middletown, Connecticut, and Stephen Zadravec, the superintendent of the Portsmouth School District in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The screening committee considered 10 candidates and interviewed five before narrowing down the list to two, committee chair Ann McNamee said.

"Each of these candidates rose to the top and represent the innovation and forward-thinking progress that will guide our district into its next chapter," McNamee said.

The new superintendent will replace Sheldon Berman, who left at the end of 2020. Claudia Bach currently serves as the interim superintendent.

Prior to her current role in Middletown, Parvey was the chief academic officer and interim superintendent in New Rochelle, New York and the assistant superintendent in North Carolina's Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District. She has also been a teacher, assistant principal and principal.

Prior to his current role in Portsmouth, Zadravec was a middle school teacher and assistant superintendent in Amherst, NH. He has also been an interim principal.

In the coming weeks, the finalists will participate in a televised forum, visit the town to meet with members of the community and be interviewed publicly by the School Committee. The schedule is under development.

The full announcement, including the candidates' resumes, is available here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.