Russell Johnston was unanimously elected Tuesday to serve as acting state education commissioner after longtime school board member Jeffrey Riley resigned in March.
Mr. Johnston, who is currently the deputy commissioner of education, will be sworn in as acting superintendent on March 15. Riley, who served as school board president for six years, announced on February 15 that he would step down due to personal reasons and recommended Johnston to serve as the next school board director. role until a new commissioner is elected.
Mr. Johnston worked as a special education teacher and administrator before becoming superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools in 2010. He has been working at the state Department of Education since 2014, when he became the state's senior deputy commissioner.
He was elected as an interim member by the Elementary and Secondary Education Board at Tuesday's meeting, and after a motion was approved by the board's secretary, which requires at least eight of the 11 members to pass.
In a memo sent before Tuesday's vote, board chairwoman Katherine Craven recommended Mr. Johnston and said the board was “lucky” to have him as a candidate for the position. Stated.
“The board must vote to recommend the acting secretary of education for appointment,” Craven wrote. “We are fortunate that Deputy Chief Russell Johnston is happy to serve in this role during his transition period.”
In his memo, Craven praised Riley's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it the most difficult period of his tenure. Riley cited “his role as the son of elderly parents” and the state's need for “a commissioner who can serve on an all-in-one basis for at least another five years” as reasons for his resignation.
“During a historic time of pandemic and social and educational disruption, Secretary Riley led the commonwealth’s schools by prioritizing the urgent need to return children to in-person learning,” Craven wrote. “Advocating for universal school lunches, groundbreaking work in creating, defending, and expanding early college programs across Massachusetts, nationally recognized deep learning work, and high-quality, evidence-based “From supporting students to accessing reading instruction, all students at Massachusetts will benefit from his research for years to come.”
Johnston's starting salary will be $246,636, according to Craven's memo.
The board will discuss the selection process for the next commissioner at its March 26 meeting.
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