Edward M. Malvey, a veteran Massachusetts and Connecticut school superintendent, is the new superintendent of schools.
The Board of Education voted unanimously Friday night to award Malvey the job after a search that attracted 16 candidates from a number of states including Florida, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
He will start work Jan. 31 in a 2.5 year contract that will pay him a base salary of $140,000 and total compensation of $151,100. That is $19,122 less than was paid to previous superintendent Judith Palmer, whose departure in August followed controversy over her contract and evaluations.
There will be a period of transition for Malvey with the help of Interim Superintendent of Schools James Connelly.
“I don’t like to give advice, but I would advise him to spend some time learning this community. Spend your first couple of months talking to all the stakeholders, getting a sense of the community and what the community is looking for in an educational future,” Connelly said.
School board chairman Rose McKinnon briefly outlined some of Malvey’s achievements that made him attractive: excellent experience, demonstrated success and an ability to maintain a positive culture in a small community.
Malvey has a rich educational background from the Boston area with a doctorate from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., McKinnon said.
“Dr. Malvey has demonstrated time and again that he goes above and beyond what is expected of him as a professional. He believes it is the only way to honor his obligation and duties as a superintendent,” McKinnon said.
She said he was intimately involved in moving the Region 11 school district from a non-accredited school/district to full accreditation. He had great success in Cohasset, an affluent, high achieving district, McKinnon added. “Dr. Malvey believes in accomplishing his goals. This belief has earned him great praise and respect from his constituents and colleagues, she said.
Malvey also holds a certificate of advanced graduate study from Northern University in Boston, Mass. He holds a a master of education in educational administration from Northern University as well. His bachelor of science degree is in elementary education from Boston State College.
He has been a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in Massachusetts. His experience included all facets of public education from teacher to administrator, with more than 26 years in central office positions, including oversight of numerous curriculum, reorganizations and large school construction projects.
Malvey opted to take an early retirement package from the State of Massachusetts in 2004, and since then has worked as a long-term interim superintendent in Massachusetts and Connecticut, McKinnon said.
He was most recently the interim superintendent in Plainfield, and before that, Quaboag Regional in Warren, Mass. from 2007 to 2009.
He is exactly what the board was looking for, based on community forums, board members said. His energy is high on the list of calling cards.
“I was very impressed with his level of energy,” said Michael Macchio, a board member.
