Melrose Superintendent Contract Agreed Upon; Needs Approval

MELROSE, MA — The School Committee last week agreed with Julie Kukenberger on a contract that would make her the next superintendent of Melrose Public Schools. The contract will be reviewed and subject to approval at Tuesday night's virtual School Committee meeting.

Kukenberger is the interim superintendent of Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. She was selected by the School Committee March 17, chosen over Interim Superintendent for the Brookline Public Schools Benjamin Lummis and Assistant Superintendent in Revere Joshua Vadala.

Melrose Superintendent Cyndy Taymore is resigning, effective June 30.

Due to coronavirus concerns, it's still unknown if Melrose Public Schools will continue the 2019-20 school year, or even if the 2020-21 school year will begin on time.

Below is Kukenberger's bio from the School Committee:

Dr. Kukenberger is currently the Interim Superintendent of Schools for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District (2019-2020). Dr. Kukenberger's prior central office experience includes: three years as Superintendent of Schools in Scarborough, Maine; two years as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Haverhill, Massachusetts; and almost two years as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the North Hanover Township School District, New Jersey. In addition, she has been a Principal, Assistant Principal, and classroom teacher at the Elementary level in the North Hanover Township School District, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. Dr. Kukenberger has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Boston College, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.