HAVERHILL — After more than three hours of interviews last night, the School Committee chose former Lawrence Superintendent and Consentino Middle School Principal James Scully to be Haverhill's interim superintendent.
Initially, it was a 4-2-1 vote, with School Committee President Shaun Toohey and members Paul Magliocchetti, Scott Wood and Susan Danehy backing Scully. Joseph Bevilacqua and Ray Sierpina voted for retired Whittier Tech Superintendent Karen Sarkisian, while Mayor James Fiorentini supported Euthemia Gilman, principal of the Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School.
Acting on a motion by Bevilacqua, the board voted to make the decision unanimous. The committee voted to offer the position to Scully, subject to negotiation of a contract. He will begin his duties in Haverhill July 1.
Scully replaces Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan, who accepted the post of superintendent of the Hamilton-Wenham School District. Buchanan's last day will be June 30.
The selection of Scully, who retired as Consentino principal two years ago, was greeted with applause from the administrators, teachers and residents who attended the meeting in the council chambers at City Hall. He and Gilman embraced.
"I will not break my word to the children of Haverhill," Scully said after accepting the position. During his interview, he said the students always come first as far as he is concerned.
Scully, describing himself as a "young 62," said he has no intention of applying for the permanent superintendency. He is expected to have the job for six months to a year, depending on how long it takes the School Committee to choose a superintendent.
Scully served as Lawrence superintendent for 10 years from 1987 to 1998. While he was credited with boosting attendance, reducing the dropout rate and getting more Lawrence High graduates to further their education, he ran into trouble over some school spending issues.
The Lawrence School Committee ended up firing him. Scully drew flak over the purchase of bagpipes and laptops, as well as Lawrence High's loss of accreditation.
During his interview, Scully brought up those issues.
"When I asked David Driscoll (then the state commissioner of education) what my biggest mistake was, he said, 'The biggest mistake you made was trying to provide your students with the same opportunities as students in the suburbs.'"
As for Lawrence High's problems, he said the evaluators focused on the leaking roof and other building problems — not on the improvements made at the school.
"There is no need to find vindication," he later told The Eagle-Tribune, noting he sued the city of Lawrence and won a settlement. It amounted to $425,000.
During his tenure at Consentino, MCAS scores "improved dramatically," parent involvement increased thanks to activities such as a pasta night and the attendance rate rose, he said.
Sarkisian, who headed Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School for 18 years before retiring two years ago, said she improved both discipline and MCAS scores there. She said the next superintendent must make sure the system complies with a number of requirements, including the state's new anti-bullying law. She also warned the system will have to take corrective action to improve MCAS results.
Gilman offered a strategic plan that she said will "take us well into the 21st century." It includes marketing the Haverhill schools. During her 38 years as a teacher and administrator in the local system, Gilman said she has provided training to paraprofessionals, "at no cost to the district."
She told the committee she just found out the MCAS scores at Silver Hill are up 10 percent.
Toohey and Wood both said they voted for Scully because of his prior experience as an urban superintendent and his accomplishments at Consentino.
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