Wayland School Committee interviews three finalists for acting superintendent

WAYLAND -- April 11, 2023, Wayland School Committee interviews three acting-superintendent finalists in marathon Tuesday session. Vice Chair Ellen Grieco opened the meeting before Chair Chris Ryan arrived from Route 30 traffic, and members Jeanne Downs, Jessica Polozotti and Erin Gibbons posed 10 identical questions to retired Stoneham superintendent John Macero (by Zoom from Hilton Head), Natick Deputy Superintendent Tim Luff and Lincoln-Sudbury Superintendent-Principal Bella Wong. Candidates were pressed on a fiscal 2024 budget cut by $1.2 million from the original recommendation, a 48 percent increase in special education costs and Wayland's second MSBA statement of interest for an elementary project. Macero cited a 90 percent community approval for a Stoneham High build; Luff described "complempathy" in IEP meetings and a recent coaching investigation involving more than 20 student interviews; Wong said "the well runs deep" in Wayland and detailed her 2018 work crafting N-word guidance at Lincoln-Sudbury. A follow-up subcommittee meets Friday at 2:30 p.m. on Zoom.