New interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness says she’s eager to get to work visiting schools, building relationships and supporting teachers. McGuinness, who served as Village School principal from 2012 to 2016, left an assistant superintendent job in Watertown to come back to Marblehead. She lives in Swampscott.
Just moments after the School Committee approved her contract, McGuinness answered questions from the Current about her role. She called the Marblehead school district “dear to my heart.”
Asked what her first steps will be, McGuiness answered, “When I start in early November, my first priorities include: visiting the students and staff members in each school, building an effective, positive relationship with the School Committee, getting up to speed in collaboration with the leadership teams and creating opportunities to connect with our families and greater community.
“I can assure the school community that I will devote myself to leading with honesty, transparency and respect in keeping each other well — across the district and reaching into the community,” she added.
McGuinness said she’ll bring the school community together by “rolling up my sleeves in the schools and in the town as I listen, learn and gather perspectives and data in determining what we’ve done well and where we can improve. And always, I will support our teachers as they work tirelessly to provide the best educational opportunities possible for our students. Mostly, I am excited to get to work.”
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist who has written hundreds of stories for local newspapers, including the Marblehead Reporter.