2 Marblehead Interim Superintendent Finalists Advanced

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead School Committee narrowed its search for a new interim superintendent to two finalists on Friday as members voted to extend invitations to Hingham Interim Director of Student Services Barbara Cataldo and Swansea Public Schools Superintendent John Robidoux for day-in-district visits.

All four candidates — including Thaddeus King and David Thomson — received support for finalist interviews with Robidoux and Cataldo receiving "top two" support from at least four of five School Committee members.

Cataldo is a former superintendent at Cohasset Public Schools and was appointed as the interim executive director of student services in Hingham for the 2023-24 academic year.

She has been working in public education administration for more than 15 years in student services, special education and district leadership. She has also worked as a reading and special education teacher.

She has a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College, a Master of Education from Harvard University, and a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Northeastern University.

Robidoux has served as the superintendent of Swansea Public Schools since 2016 and has worked in that district since 2006. He told the School Committee in that town in the fall he would not seek a new contract when his contract expired at the end of this current school year.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from Providence College and is a Doctoral candidate at Lesley University.

School Committee Chair Sarah Fox said she had been in touch with the four candidates who interviewed publicly with the School Committee last week about the pending day-in-district visit that will include contingent trips to Hingham and Swansea, respectively, in the case of the two finalists.

A fifth candidate was asked to conduct a public interview but Fox said that person never connected with the Committee on scheduling so it was determined to move forward based on the four candidates who did interview.

Fox said the next step following the day-in-district interviews would be to check references and then to bring the names back to the full Committee for a discussion and potential vote on a finalist. That person would then be brought to Marblehead for in-person sessions with administrative, staff and students ahead of possible selection for an offer.

This will be the second straight year that the district has been under the guidance of an interim superintendent after Theresa McGuinness was hired in the position in October following the mutual separation between the district and former Superintendent John Buckey this past July.

McGuinness said in December that she did not wish to be considered for the permanent superintendent position and the Committee determined in February to continue with another interim district leader ahead of a search for a permanent replacement for Buckey next year.

(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._