Wayland Picks Interim Superintendent To Serve One-Year Term

WAYLAND, MA — The Wayland School Committee sent a strong signal Friday that on-leave Superintendent Omar Easy likely won't rejoin the district: the committee voted to appoint former Newton superintendent David Fleishman as the district's interim superintendent for the next year.

The district is under a crunch to find a new leader. Assistant Superintendent Parry Graham was elevated to become the acting superintendent in February after the committee voted to place Easy on involuntary leave. The committee has still named a reason for that move.

But by the time Easy was placed on leave, Graham had been selected to become the new superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. Graham will start in that job in July, leaving Wayland with neither an interim superintendent nor an assistant superintendent.

The school committee began searching for an interim in March, initially identifying outgoing Weston Superintendent Midge Connelly as a prime candidate.

But at a meeting Monday night, the committee said five candidates had expressed interest in the job. On Tuesday, the committee interviewed retired Stoneham superintendent John Macero, Natick Deputy Superintendent Timothy Luff and outgoing Lincoln-Sudbury Superintendent Bella Wong. The committee interviewed Connelly and Fleishman on Wednesday. The pool was narrowed to four candidates by Friday after Macero dropped out.

Each school committee member gave Fleishman high marks for his performance in interviews, with Vice Chair Ellen Greico calling him the "total package." The one downside members mentioned was that his experience was in a much larger district.

"I think really, at the end of the day for where we are right now, I think his demeanor and his approach combined with his many years of experience would be very helpful for us at this time," Chair Chris Ryan said.

Fleishman served as superintendent in Newton for 12 years, guiding the district through initiatives like adding full day kindergarten, 1:1 technology and school building renovations, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. He resigned from the role in April 2022 to become CEO of JVS Boston, one of the largest providers of adult education and workforce development services in New England.

The committee voted unanimously Friday to enter into contract negotiations with Fleishman, a key step before he takes the job. If he accepts, he'll start in the job on July 1.

On a separate hiring track, Graham and an internal committee have identified three candidates for the assistant superintendent role. Public interviews with those candidates will likely happen after spring break.