Wilmington School Committee Names Next Superintendent

WILMINGTON, MA -- The Wilmington School Committee unanimously voted to enter contract negotiations with Glenn Brand to serve as superintendent of the Wilmington Public Schools. While the board had originally not expected to make a decision until March, the committee voted to name Brand just one day after concluding interviews with finalists Tuesday night.

"One candidate really stood out," School Committee Chairman Steve Bjork said, adding that surveys had favored Brand by a margin of two-to-one and staff had responded most favorably to him when he visited.

Brand recently interviewed for the superintendent's job in Lexington. That town chose Taunton Public Schools Superintendent Julie Hackett over Brand and another finalist. Brand left Acton-Boxborough last year to "educational and operational philosophies" that were "not aligned," the regional school committee, according to minutes from an executive session that were made public under the Massachusetts Public Records law. Brand, according to an article last year in the Acton Forum, seems to have been forced to resign by a coalition of school committee members who created a "toxic working environment."

The committee interviewed Brand and Nan Murphy, who is currently Director of Accountability & School Improvement for Lowell Public Schools, at Tuesday night's meeting. That followed Monday night, when the committee interviewed Patricia White-Lambright, the Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services at Melrose Public Schools and Michael Wood, the Director of Student Services for Leicester Public Schools.

While she supported Brand's selection, School Committee member Julie Broussard said she was not pleased with the quick turn around between the conclusion of the interviews and the committee's vote. She said she had not had enough time to review all of the materials, including the parent survey results, which she had received just before Wednesday night's meeting.

"I’m feeling a lot of pressure to vote right now and I don’t appreciate it," she said. "I’m asking for a little time to pull my thoughts together."

Committee member Peggy Kane and other committee members said they wanted to push forward because Brand was a finalist in at least two other superintendent searches. They feared if they waited Brand would be "scooped up" by another district.

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.

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Photo by Glenn Brand.

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