Royal Oak Schools Pick New Superintendent

ROYAL OAK, MI — Mary Beth Fitzpatrick has been selected as Royal Oak Schools’ next superintendent after the Board of Education last week unanimously recommended her for the job. All that’s left is to negotiate a contract with her before the title becomes official.

If ultimately approved, Fitzpatrick — the Berkley School District current assistant superintendent — will begin her new duties on July 1. Royal Oak Schools Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin recently announced his retirement from the position to become senior associate pastor at Birmingham First United Methodist Church.

“I look forward to working with her as she transitions into her new role,” Lewis-Larkin wrote of Fitzpatrick on the Royal Oak Schools website. “Our school board engaged in a very thorough and deliberate process to select Ms. Fitzpatrick as our new superintendent. I am very confident in what the future holds for our students, our schools and our community.

Fitzpatrick was the only candidate invited to the second round of interviews, according to a Royal Oak Review report. The Board of Education reviewed 31 applications for the position, the newspaper reported.

The second round of interviews held March 29. It included a tour of the district, a presentation and a question-and-answer session before the Board of Education, the Royal Oak Review reported. The second round of interviews also included Royal Oak High School Principal Mike Giromini and Walled Lake Schools Deputy Superintendent Christopher Delgado, the newspaper reported.

Fitzpatrick has been with the Berkley district for 31 years and currently oversees curriculum, technology, assessment and grants. She has also worked as an elementary school principal, a high school assistant principal, an instructional support and staff development specialist, and a special education teacher for the district, the Royal Oak Review reported.

“She has been instrumental in nearly every initiative in the last decade, and she has been a remarkable public servant,” Berkley School District Superintendent Dennis McDavid wrote in an email sent to parents. “We are very proud of her and wish her nothing but success — except when Royal Oak plays Berkley in anything.”

Photo courtesy of the Berkley School District