Salem School Chief Will Step Down

SALEM, MA — The Salem School Committee and Superintendent Margarita Ruiz are nearing an agreement for Ruiz to step down as superintendent, Mayor Kim Dirscoll said at Monday night's meeting of the board. Driscoll, who also chairs the school committee, did not offer a timeline for Ruiz's departure or details on a succession plan. The announcement came after the board met in a closed, executive session earlier this month.

"The School Committee and superintendent have been discussing the future of the district... the Committee and Superintendent Ruiz have agreed that a change in leadership would be desirable," Driscoll said. More than 100 people have signed a petition urging the board to take a vote of no confidence in Driscoll and Ruiz, citing high turnover among the school system's principals, as well as last month's abrupt resignation and replacement of the principal at Salem High School.

Following Driscoll's announcement, several meeting attendees use the meeting's public comment period to react to the news. And many of their comments were critical of Driscoll. That prompted Driscoll to eventually leave her seat on the board and take a turn at the podium as a Salem School system parent.

To see people "almost taking glee in burning the place down... it isn't the experience I've had either as a parent or a School Committee chairperson," Driscoll said. "There are lots of parents and students who despite the chaos tell me they're having an amazing experience at Salem High School and are grateful for the opportunities they have."

Driscoll's comments, however, only opened her up for more criticism. One speaker noted that the mayor's own children had gone to Essex Tech and St. Mary's. Another suggested Driscoll was victim blaming.

"Don't come here and scold us. You work for us," Salem resident Robert Kennedy said. "I'm appalled that you came down here and tried to guilt us."

The school committee has another closed meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).