Superintendent of Public Schools John Buckey addressed what he said “has unnecessarily become a political controversy” centering around a request that was made to have a discussion about his contract added to the June 15 School Committee meeting agenda.
The controversy began last week when School Committee Chair Sarah Fox let it be known that School Committee member Sarah Gold, who is up for reelection, had inquired about having a discussion centering around Buckey’s contract. The inquiry came during a discussion about the committee’s performance review of Buckey on June 6, which resulted in a proficient score for the superintendent.
Gold’s request had been withdrawn before Thursday’s meeting, however Buckey still presented a statement on the matter.
“I want to be clear with the committee and the community, I have never asked for my contract being an agenda item for a School Committee meeting,” Buckey said.
He continued by saying that the structure of his contract allows for the committee to choose whether to hold conversations regarding his compensation benefits or the turnover of his contract.
With the town set to vote on a $2.5 million override, which includes the school-budget override, as well as a number of candidates for various boards and committees, Buckey said that the override is where all of his attention is currently focused.
“I want to state unequivocally that all of us — School Committee, superintendent, the people of Marblehead — have a far more pressing matter ahead of us than my contract,” Buckey said. “I, for one, am solely focused on that vote.”
He also stated that he will not accept a pay increase in the coming fiscal year.
“The very last thing I want is for any speculation about my contract to have any bearing whatsoever on the critical town-wide vote on Tuesday,” he added.
School Committee member Tom Mathers, participating in his last School Committee meeting as he chose not to run for reelection, commented on the matter, calling the discussions centering around Buckey’s contract “unfortunate and unnecessary.” Mathers said that this is nothing more than a normal end-of-year process.
“At the end of any review cycle, whether you’re in the private sector or public sector, you kind of want to know what’s next,” Mathers said. “‘Do I get a promotion? Do I get a new opportunity? Do I get a raise? Are you going to change conditions in the workplace for me or my contract?’ That is natural.”
Buckey began as superintendent of Marblehead Public Schools in July 2020, and he was hired with a three-year contract. In 2021, he was offered an extension that currently keeps him through 2025.