SAUGUS — Erin McMahon will replace Dr. David DeRuosi as the district’s new superintendent of schools following a unanimous vote by the School Committee Wednesday.
Beating out three other finalists, including Dr. Margaret Ferrick, deputy superintendent for Southbridge Public Schools; Dr. Frank Tiano, superintendent of Uxbridge Public Schools; and Eric Tracy, principal of Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, McMahon, who currently serves as senior advisor to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner, will take over the position when DeRuosi’s contract expires June 30.
She will be the town’s first female superintendent.
“If the ceiling opened up and I got knocked out right before the vote and wasn’t able to vote, I’d be very happy knowing one of these four people made it,” Vice Chair and Superintendent Screening subcommittee member Ryan Fisher said Wednesday afternoon. “Each of these four candidates have great resumes, they’ve done really hard work, and they’re all capable. This is going to be a decision based on who has the most to give to Saugus.”
Only four out of five School Committee members participated in the final decision, with Chair Thomas Whittredge recusing himself from all proceedings because of his sister’s position under the superintendent as director of pupil personnel.
Member John Hatch said he felt McMahon was a standout candidate.
“Ms. McMahon shined, and I think she would be a great leader for our district for the future,” he said.
Member Arthur Grabowski added: “She certainly stood out from the crowd and almost everybody I spoke to over the last several days echoed that.”
McMahon holds a bachelor’s in history from Yale University, an MBA in finance from Cornell University, and a Master of Science degree in education leadership from Pace University.
She previously served as superintendent of the Denver Public Schools from 2012 to 2018 and was a principal at the Henry Street School for International Studies in New York City from 2004 to 2012.
She also worked as an English language learning teacher for Washington, D.C. Public Schools from 1995 until 1997.
“Everything about her is just off the charts,” Fisher said.
Fisher, along with fellow member Dennis Gould, served on the board’s superintendent search subcommittee and helped whittle down 25 initial candidates to four finalists with the help of the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) — the Marlborough-based educational firm tasked with assisting the district in its search.
Part of the search included reaching out to stakeholders through focus groups, interviews and surveys to create a candidate profile. The School Committee then reviewed the data with NESDEC to determine which skills and characteristics the ideal candidate would possess.
“I was very pleased at the dedication all 15 members of the search committee exhibited throughout the search process,” Gould said last month. “We had an excellent, diverse committee, with parents from elementary, middle and high school, teachers and admins from Saugus and other towns who live in Saugus.
“I can’t thank the members enough for all the time they spent in meetings, interviews and their own time researching other candidates.”
McMahon, who will be the town’s sixth superintendent since 2012, faces a number of district-wide issues, many of which have only been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and a year of remote learning for Saugus students.
In particular, McMahon will be tasked with addressing Saugus’ low Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores, which were highlighted in the district’s 2019 District Review Report, as well as overseeing the tail end of the town’s school building reconfiguration efforts.
“I am so excited. We picked an unbelievable candidate,” Gould said after the meeting. “I know she’ll hit the ground running and she can help us with state and federal funding. Saugus will flourish with her as the superintendent.”