Westford School Committee To Vote On New Superintendent

WESTFORD, MA — The school committee is set to vote Thursday night to choose a leader for the district as long-time Superintendent Bill Olsen steps down at the end of the school year.

The Westford School Committee announced they'd narrowed the search to four finalists last week. All four have doctorates, including a familiar face around town.

The vote comes after a week of community meetings and interviews with all four candidates.

The finalists are: Melrose assistant superintendent Margaret Adams, Stony Brook School Principal Christopher Chew, Arlington High School Principal Matthew Janger, and Michele Shannon who is the vice president of client services of the New York City Leadership Academy.

Outgoing superintendent Olsen has worked in education for 49 years, some 35 of which in Westford. Olsen has been superintendent here for 15 years. In 2020, when his last three-year contract came up, he asked for a year extension. The school committee voted to deny it, but after outcry from the community reversed that decision. In the spring of 2020, the school committee voted to approve a short-term contract for the superintendent and gave him a poor performance evaluation. His contract at the end of June.

To watch the meeting and participate go here.