Next MA Education Secretary Honored For Legacy As Salem Superintendent

SALEM, MA — Six years after Steve Zrike stepped into the role of Salem Public Schools superintendent from Holyoke to take over a struggling district on the cusp of a worldwide pandemic, the next state Secretary of Education was honored for his personal and far-reaching impact on a generation of students during his final School Committee meeting in the city.

Zrike was presented with proclamations citing his influence on student achievement, attendance, opportunity, equity and culture during an emotional goodbye on Monday night.

• Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike Named MA Secretary Of Education
  
• Salem Interim Superintendent Named, Timeline To Fill Permanent Position Set

"It is hard to imagine this district being able to achieve what it has without the leadership that you provided," Salem Mayor and School Committee Chair Dominick Pangallo said. "You have been a constant source of support for me in stepping into this job. But you were also a constant cheerleader for our schools and our kids. You have put their well-being, their educational excellence, as people, as individuals, at the forefront of every decision that you've made."

Pangallo added that Zrike has laid an "incredibly strong foundation for us to build on to go in the right direction for years to come."

The city proclamation cited Zrike's guidance during the pandemic, and in introducing new pre-K programs, CTE expansion, and increasing AP options and innovations, "all centered on equity and individual excellence."

"Salem students, families, educators and the city as a whole owe him a debt of gratitude we can never repay," the proclamation said.

Student Representative Sindi Sula spoke eloquently about Zrike's unique connection with the youth of the district.

"Something about you that I've noticed — at least in the last year that we've worked together — is how much you care about all of us," she said. "Honestly, really every student, you pay attention to everything that we need, everything that we wish to see in the future, everything that we wish to get implemented.

"You listen to the criticisms that any of the students might have — I know you've listened to a lot of the ones that I have had — and you've helped fix them."

School Committee member Veronica Miranda said Zrike led the district with a rare level of "integrity, and compassion, and brilliance" and that the next superintendent will have "big shoes to fill."

School Committee member Beth Anne Cornell noted Zrike's embrace of the district, ranging from his leadership during the COVID-19 health crisis to being willing to serve as an elementary school substitute teacher in a pinch.

State Rep. Manny Cruz (D-Salem), a former Salem School Committee member during Zrike's tenure, concluded that his defining legacy in the Witch City will be that he "believed in a culture of excellence for all of our students."

"Not for some of our students," he said. "For all of our students."