Marblehead Superintendent Maryann Perry To Retire

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Superintendent Maryann Perry announced her retirement effective June 30 at a School Committee meeting Tuesday morning. School Committee Chairwoman Meredith Tedford also said she will not run again this year.

The announcements come after intense fallout regarding how school officials paid about $600,000 of 2018 bills with 2019 funds. An audit report showed school officials broke state finance law in doing so, as they never received permission from Town Meeting. The deficit was tied to special education out-of-district tuition.

The audit, by Powers & Sullivan and obtained by The Salem News, said school officials knew what they were doing.

"School management told us that they intentionally withheld submitting tuition invoices during fiscal 2018 with the intent to charge the expense in fiscal 2019, even though they knew they were fiscal 2018 expenses," it read.

Perry stood up for her reputation while reading from a prepared statement Tuesday morning.

"I am not a bully, a criminal or a liar," she said, according to The Marblehead Reporter. "I was truthful with the series of events and continue to stand by my word. I acknowledged the decision we made and accepted responsibility for it."

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