MELROSE — Adam M. Deleidi was offered the job of chief educational officer in Melrose this week, and according to sources, he has accepted the position.
The School Committee on Tuesday quickly deliberated on the three finalist candidates for superintendent of the city’s school district. They were Deleidi, now deputy Chelsea superintendent; John Buckey, most recently the leader of the Marblehead school system; and Jannell Pearson-Campbell, most recently the interim Northampton schools’ superintendent.
School board members voted to give the job to Deleidi.
He will take control of the local schools at the end of the current academic year, getting the reins from Interim Supt. John Macera. Macera was appointed after Supt. of Schools Dr. Julie Kukenberger decided not to seek a second contract with the city after a short, controversial stint as schools’ leader.
Born and raised in Chelsea, Deleidi has had a full plate of responsibilities in the city’s schools since 2019. As deputy superintendent, he does everything that he did as assistant superintendent of Student Services, and then some.
For example, Deleidi is responsible for overseeing the district’s system of supports designed to ensure that all Chelsea students are ready to learn at their highest levels every day, such as special education, social-emotional learning and English Language learning, among others. He oversees athletics; counseling and guidance; health; the parent information center; the adult learning/intergenerational literacy program and Special Family Supports.
He began his career in Chelsea in 1997, then worked in Saugus and Revere before returning to Chelsea. Prior to his role as assistant superintendent, he was principal of the Berkowitz School, assistant principal at the middle school level, an instructional math coach at all levels, a middle school math teacher and an elementary science teacher.
According to the Chelsea schools’ website, Deleidi’s “pedagogy was highlighted in the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) publication Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. His work with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was highlighted in the spring 2015 publication of the Scholastic Administrator.”
Deleidi has a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in curriculum and instruction from Lesley University and a master’s in Education and bachelor of arts from Salem State University. He was a National Board Certified Teacher and completed the Merrimack Leadership Academy administrative licensure program.
Deleidi was selected to lead the Melrose public schools among several other qualified candidates for the job. A screening committee began its work finding the next schools’ superintendent in October.