By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The School Committee unanimously voted to appoint Tom Geary as interim superintendent during a Feb. 27 meeting.
Geary, whose main responsibility is serving as the assistant superintendent of finance and operations, was appointed as acting superintendent last December after former Superintendent Kristen Vogel took a medical leave of absence. The School Committee and Vogel agreed to part ways last week (see separate story).
School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio said Geary will be serving as interim superintendent through June 2025.
“I would love to share the committee’s reasoning as to why we unanimously agree that Tom is the best choice for our district,” said DePrizio. “There is not another person more invested in the success and growth of Lynnfield Public Schools. From the moment Tom was appointed to acting superintendent, he has been a stabilizing force for the LPS community. His leadership, integrity, kindness, strategic thinking, collaborative spirit and creativity have been vital to us during this time. I have personally experienced his empathy, engagement and intentionality with students, parents, staff and stakeholders. He is always open to discussion and feedback. Tom does not shy away from difficult conversations and he embraces challenges.”
DePrizio also noted that Geary, who is a lifelong resident, is the father of two Lynnfield Middle School students. He has worked as the School Department’s finance director since July 2006. He was appointed as assistant superintendent of finance and operations in the fall of 2022. Despite the title change, Geary’s responsibilities did not.
“Tom’s historical knowledge of our schools and of our town is invaluable,” said DePrizio. “He has established great rapport and continues to relationship build with the School Committee, town leaders, town committees and boards, students, staff and stakeholders alike. The School Committee appreciates the upcoming needs of the district as we move into collective bargaining negotiations in the fall. We are confident that there is no one better to lead us through that with careful consideration for all parties.”
DePrizio also said appointing Geary as interim superintendent will allow the School Committee to conduct a search for the district’s next chief educational officer during the 2024-2025 academic year.
“A superintendent search next year at an appropriate posting time will take full advantage of the pool of potential candidates, allowing time to establish a superintendent search committee and clearly define our needs and goals for the district,” said DePrizio. “The time and intentional effort required to get another interim superintendent up to speed with all of the acute and longitudinal needs of LPS and build rapport, would be nearly impossible while remaining keenly focused on rebuilding and moving forward. For all these reasons, we welcome and fully support the appointment of Superintendent Tom Geary.”
School Committee member Jim Dillon commended the job Geary has done since he and School Committeeman Tim Doyle were appointed to their respective seats in January.
“The work Tom has done is really amazing,” said Dillon. “I am just thrilled that you are have stepped up and are willing to continue to step up. With the continued support of the community and the School Committee, I think we are going to have a great end of this year and a terrific next year because we have the right guy. Tom is a terrific person. We are thrilled. It has really worked out for us. Thanks for stepping up.”
School Committee Vice Chair Jamie Hayman agreed.
“I don’t think we could get someone else in of this quality who is this dedicated to our district,” said Hayman. “Tom has jumped in with eyes wide open, and has done a really good job. I really appreciate you. I appreciate the work that you are doing and are going to continue to do.”
School Committee member Phil McQueen concurred with his colleagues’ point of view.
“Tom has done a spectacular job,” said McQueen. “When I first met you, I said, ‘you are the business guy.’ You are a lot more than the business guy.”
Doyle said he hopes Geary’s appointment will alleviate educators and staff concerns about who is leading the school system going forward.
“To the staff, I hope this calms the waters and gives you some comfort going forward,” said Doyle. “Tom will be in place for the next year. He has done an unbelievably amount of work. I hope you understand that he has stepped up into an unenviable position that few people would ever take knowing the work ahead of them. He has stepped up to the plate on behalf of this community, the staff and the students. I hope you get behind him and support him going forward. There is nobody that we could find who would care more about this district and the students than Tom. Good luck going forward. I really appreciate that you stepped up to the plate and are willing to take on this challenge.”
Geary emailed the Villager the following statement about being named interim superintendent.
“I’m honored and grateful that the School Committee voted to name me interim superintendent through the next school year,” Geary wrote. “My plan, as always, is to continue to work collaboratively with students, staff and families for the betterment of our schools. We have so many amazing things happening in our classrooms each day due to the efforts of our students and teachers, so it’s very humbling to be chosen to lead the district.”