LYNN — Dr. Patrick Tutwiler is officially the city’s new superintendent, having signed a three-year deal with the School Committee on Monday night.
Under the terms of the deal, Tutwiler, who has been deputy superintendent of the Lynn Public Schools for three years, will earn a $207,000 salary for the first school year, with a $3,000 discretionary bonus at the discretion of the School Committee, followed by a fixed rate of $210,000 for the second and third years of the contract.
Tutwiler starts his new role on Aug. 1.
“I feel really good,” said Tutwiler, a Chicago native and Andover resident. “I feel excited and I’m ready to get to work.”
Tutwiler said he’ll be focused on improving the performance and meeting the needs of the district’s two lowest performing subgroups, English Language Learners and special education students — ELL students are most at risk of dropping out in the district.
Tutwiler said the terms of the contract with the School Committee were “completely fair,” which he thinks is a “signal of the collaborative approach we will engage in going forward.”
Mayor Thomas M. McGee, chairman of the School Committee, said the search process resulted in not only picking someone who is going to be a great superintendent for the city, but working collaboratively to put together a contract that worked.
“It’s an exciting time for the city and we’re looking forward to his leadership as he begins his new role in August,” McGee said.
The School Committee unanimously selected Tutwiler as the city’s next superintendent in May after an extensive search. He is replacing retiring Superintendent Dr. Catherine C. Latham.
“I’m excited,” said Michael Satterwhite, a member of the School Committee. “It’s a new beginning. We are agreeing to some reasonable terms with the candidate that is most qualified to take the Lynn Public Schools into a territory we haven’t been into before and that’s an exciting event to be a part of and I look forward to new leadership.”
Tutwiler’s contract expires on July 31, 2021. If the School Committee does not renew the contract prior to May 1 of that year, the committee will pay Tutwiler a severance in the amount of his compensation for the three months immediately preceding the date of the contract’s expiration, according to the employment contract.
If Tutwiler chooses to terminate his contract before his term of service expires, he must give 150 days notice to the chairman of the School Committee. If notice is given, Tutwiler and the School Committee would negotiate any severance benefits contained in the contract.
Tutwiler previously spent two years as headmaster of Brighton High School and six years as principal of Wayland High School. His 18-year career in teaching and administration began in 2000 with a four-year stint as a history teacher in Brighton.
Tutwiler grew up in Champaign, Ill., and lived in Texas for five years while his mother earned a doctorate from the University of Texas. He spent his high school years in St. Paul, Minn.
He settled in Massachusetts for college, first earning his bachelor’s degree at College of the Holy Cross, where he played basketball, then a master’s in education from Harvard University. He has a doctorate of philosophy in curriculum and instruction from Boston College.
