Braintree Superintendent Leaving For Winchester Job

BRAINTREE, MA — Superintendent Frank Hackett will leave Braintree district at end of the school year to become the interim superintendent in Winchester.

The Winchester School Committee unanimously chose Hackett at a special meeting Friday. His appointment is effective July 1, pending the district coming to a contractual agreement with the district. He will replace Judith Evans, who is retiring after six years as the Winchester Superintendent and 35 years in education.

Hackett was one of two finalists for the job, along with Merrimack, New Hampshire Superintendent Mark McLaughlin. Committee Chair Brian Vernaglia said Hackett was ultimately chosen because he has more experience as a superintendent and has worked in Massachusetts.

"He has the stronger skill set," Vernaglia. "We would like to minimize the learning curve."

Hackett has served as Braintree's superintendent since 2015. While serving in Braintree, Hackett led the charge in recommending Grade 5 students be moved to classrooms in the middle schools to free up space in the elementary schools. The plan was to add an addition to East Middle School and build a new South Middle School.

Grade 5 students are expected to move to East Middle School next school year when construction is complete. As for the South Middle School, the project was granted $31 million from the Massachusetts School Building Authority and was approved by residents with a debt exclusion vote.

Mayor Charles Kokoros congratulated Hackett on his new job and said he will miss working with him.

"I consider Frank to be a friend and have enjoyed working with him over the last year," Kokoros said. "He has left a lasting mark on our school system and will be missed by all who had the pleasure of working with him over the years. Dr. Hackett’s dedication to education will certainly continue in Winchester and their teachers, staff and youth are lucky to have him."

Prior to coming to Braintree, Hackett was the superintendent in Pembroke for eight years and also spent 20 years as a principal and office administrator in Maine. It was while Hackett was in Pembroke when he first expressed interest in the Winchester job, he said during his interview with the Winchester School Committee Wednesday night.

Hackett also said he loves working in Braintree but felt Winchester's school district was worth taking a chance on, despite it being an interim position. Hackett was also a finalist for the Waltham job last year, but ultimately wasn't chosen.