'Move Toward Stability': Marblehead Interim Superintendent Elevated To 'Permanent' Status

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead Public Schools took what the School Committee said it hopes will be a "significant move toward stability" with a vote to approve a contract for Interim Superintendent John Robidoux to become the permanent superintendent.

The new contract runs through 2028.

The deal appears to conclude two years of upheaval among district leadership, which included the negotiated departure of former Superintendent John Buckey in 2023, the decision of Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness not to seek the permanent role in 2024, and the hiring of Robidoux as a two-year interim superintendent later that year.

Marblehead Public Schools has also dealt with an 11-day teachers' strike late last year and several other challenges, including a third-party investigation into the restraint of a dysregulated student last year, and charges of antisemitic conduct among school staff, which a separate investigation ultimately found "could not be corroborated."

The School Committee said that Robidoux requested to be considered for the permanent position in February, with an ensuing evaluation finding that he would be the right person to lead the district in a positive direction long term.

"It is important as a superintendent to have a School Committee that supports the things that you do day to day, and we have a lot of ongoing conversations and that's really important," Robidoux said in a School Committee statement. "The superintendent job is a hard, lonely job, and without the support of the Committee, it makes it that much more difficult. So I do appreciate it (the support), and that is the reason I chose to stay."

The School Committee said the three-year contract establishes "a foundation for consistent leadership as the Committee and superintendent believe that the district is entering a period of growth."

"The School Committee and Superintendent Robidoux are excited for this new chapter in Marblehead Public Schools and look forward to the continued partnership that will propel toward achieving its future goals," the School Committee said.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)