Farewell, Special Ed Chief, School Choice On Salem School Board Agenda

SALEM, MA — It will be a busy night for the Salem School Committee on Monday as the board is set to vote on a new executive director of special education, school choice in the district and a farewell to retiring Committee member Jim Fleming.

Superintendent Steve Zrike said he and the School Committee Finance Subcommittee are also preparing a budget proposal in advance of the May 1 meeting that he allowed will likely include some "position eliminations."

Fleming announced late during the March 20 meeting that he intended to step down after nearly 20 years on the Committee. His term was set to expire this fall.

"It is Mr. Fleming's final School Committee meeting and we want to express our gratitude for his service," Zrike said during his Facebook Live session with the school community on Wednesday. "I will be acknowledging him before the meeting, there will be a little reception, and we'll also be acknowledging him during the meeting.

"So I want to thank him for his dedicated service to the Salem Public Schools for approximately two decades."

Zrike said community feedback and individual building proposals are being compiled and presented to the School Committee Finance Subcommittee as part of the budget process that will include a formal budget proposal on May 1.

"It does look like there will have to be some position eliminations both in the central office and schools in order for us to balance our budget," Zrike said. "But we hope to achieve that through attrition — for the most part."

Zrike said he plans to recommend continuing the school choice policy that allows for those in other communities to come to Salem for schooling and will make a recommendation to the School Committee for the hire of the next Executive Director of Special Education.

The three finalists for the Special Education Director, which is a School Committee appointment, are Saltonstall School Principal Michael Lister, Salem Director of Elementary Special Education Jennifer Doucette and Malden Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Pamela MacDonald.

(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.)