Wilmington Interviews First Two Candidates For Superintendent

WILMINGTON, MA -- The Wilmington School Committee interviewed two of the four finalists to become the school system's next superintendent Monday night. Patricia Lambright-White, the Assistant Superitnendent of Pupil Personnel Services at Melrose Public Schools, said she would draw on her experience as a classroom teacher and seek to bring the school community together following issues in recent years, while Michael Wood, the Director of Student Services for Leicester Public Schools, said he would bring 20 years of experience as a superintendent to the job.

The two remaining candidates, Glenn Brand, the former Superintendent of Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, and Nan Murphy, who is currently Director of Accountability & School Improvement for Lowell Public Schools, are scheduled to meet with the school committee Tuesday night. The committee hopes to finalize a decision by early March and have the new superintendent in place by July 1.

"You need a superintendent who will bring your staff together -- bring your community, bring your parents, bring your students, together," White-Lambert said.

Two years ago, White-Lambert applied for but not get the superintendent's job in Tewksbury. In Melrose, she has been the Title VI coordinator for the district. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives Federal funds or other Federal financial assistance. She said while she had planned for a career in the classroom, she had moved into administration after questioning leadership decisions earlier in her career.

Wood, meanwhile, portrayed himself as an experienced yet approachable administrator with ample experience leading school districts.

"I want an open dialogue about what's going on in the schools, in the classrooms, in the community," Wood said. "That dialogue has to be one that allows us both to hear, listen to one another, but also to appreciate the context and the perspective that we're having."

In 2015, Wood resigned as superintendent of schools for the Nashoba Regional School District. At Worcester Telegram article at the time reported that minutes from executive sessions showed that school committee members were concerned about several operational aspects, including the Wood rolling allowances into salaries after the committee had explicitly told him not to, as well as agreements negotiated by the superintendent without committee approval. There were also disputes on control and policy.

Wilmington has not had a permanent superintendent since October 2016, when Mary DeLai resigned after less than three years in the post. DeLai was arrested for drunk driving in Danvers on Aug. 25, 2016. The police report indicates DeLai registered a .19 on a Breathylzer test, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Subscribe to Wilmington Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo by Dave Copeland.

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