Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala: 'I Want To Retire Here'

PEABODY, MA — Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala expressed his desire to "retire here" as he expressed gratitude in the long-term commitment the School Committee made to him in voting unanimously to extend his contract for another four years.

The new deal takes effect on July 1, 2023 and runs through June 30, 2027.

Vadala was came to Peabody from Revere and was named superintendent in April 2020 — just weeks after the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis that disrupted learning for the better part of the next two years.

"We've been through a lot together through COVID and as we're coming out of that," Vadala told the Peabody School Committee. "We're really learned a lot about each other.

"I know this is a leap of faith to invest this much time (in me). As we went through our budget last year we talked about stability and sustainability. I am really proud to say that we can be together for the next four years and beyond."

Vadala's extension is the second long-term extension on the North Shore following a period when superintendents were staying in their positions for less and less time in recent years. The Salem School Committee recently extended the contract of Steve Zrike, who started in that city right around the same time as Vadala, for five years.

"I would like to be here a long time and I am very touched and humbled that this was a unanimous vote," Vadala told the School Committee at its last meeting.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)