Interim school superintendent a possibility in Middleboro

MIDDLEBORO - The community will weigh in on whether to bring on an interim school superintendent while a lengthier search is pursued for a full-time district leader, School Committee members agreed at their April 9 meeting.

The previous plan was to hire a new superintendent by July 1. But this time lime may be too ambitious, Middleboro School Committee Chair Susan Pennini said.

Sean Costello of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees suggested that time would be tight to bring on a new school leader in less than three months, Pennini said.

Costello had previously appeared before the Middleboro school board to discuss leading the superintendent search, which involved a series of steps, including community forums and school visits.

He offered the alternative of bringing in an interim school superintendent for the upcoming school year while a full-scale search is launched for a permanent superintendent.

The new search would begin in September and would put the district in a “good position’’ to have a new superintendent in place by July 1, 2027, Pennini said.

The cost to oversee both searches would be $11,500, the same fee as for just the permanent search, Pennini said.

Currently Michael Perrone, the district’s director of business and finance, serves as acting superintendent.

He was brought in to the acting role after previous superintendent Carolyn Lyons took a health-related leave in August 2025. She officially left the district in February.

Committee member Kimberly Redlon described hiring a superintendent by July 1 or Aug. 1 as “definitely an expedited, compressed timeline.’’ Many districts, she said, already have newly hired superintendents in place.

Community member Sarah Zagouris said that rushing the process has previously led to choices some have questioned. “Let’s take a breath,’’ she said. “This is such a big decision and we’ve seen it go wrong before.’’

Middleboro resident and teacher Alexis Burrows noted that, although she wants to avoid a “knee-jerk decision,’’ the district needs leadership.

“We’ve been a district in flux with administrative positions coming and going,’’ she said. “I was really hoping we could go all in and hit the ground running.''

Bringing on an interim could help the district “keep an even keel’’ while taking a thoughtful approach to a new superintendent, committee member Christopher Benson said.

Perrone needs to focus strictly on budget issues during a time when the district faces a financial shortfall, Benson said. During financially challenging times, that position, he note, “is almost as important as who we pick for superintendent.’’

A survey, which was proposed by committee member Leah Machado, will be sent out and results discussed at future meeting. The next scheduled meeting is April 30.

“I feel like everybody should have some input’’ Machado said, so that “whatever decision was made wasn’t just made by the seven of us.’’

Committee member Sean Mokeler said he supported the survey but questioned what would happen if the public, for example, preferred an immediate search but the committee wanted an interim.

He said he mentioned that as a “cautionary tale.’’