SAUGUS — Superintendent of Schools Dr. David DeRuosi will retire from his position at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
First appointed in 2016, DeRuosi, who announced his retirement after 34 years working in public education during Tuesday’s school committee meeting, has served alongside two Saugus school boards and oversaw the district’s ambitious middle-high school project that was completed earlier this year.
He is the town’s fifth superintendent since 2012.
“I’ve enjoyed my time in Saugus. I’ve worked with some pretty committed people with regards to public education,” DeRuosi said. “We’ve done a lot of good work in five years.”
DeRuosi, 59, entered his position in the midst of a particularly turbulent time for the district. From low test scores to high administrative turnover, the superintendent faced a number of challenges during his four-year tenure, as well as his share of controversy.
In particular, DeRuosi was one of several officials who faced backlash when the previous board voted to privatize the district’s custodial services, effectively terminating the jobs of 21 staff members in June 2019.
In January, the board voted, 3-1, to extend DeRuosi’s contract through June of 2021. Chair Thomas Whittredge recused himself from the vote due to a conflict of interest stemming from his sister’s role as Director of Pupil Personnel.
“Dr. DeRuosi is a great guy. He stepped into a difficult situation and got us moving in the right direction,” Whittredge said.
He noted that under DeRuosi’s watch, the current school committee — which was elected in November 2019 — spearheaded the district’s move to a combined middle-high school and its consolidation from six school buildings to three.
“He was the architect behind that, and he’s going to stay until the end of the year to see that through,” Whittredge said. “I definitely wish him the best in the future.”
DeRuosi, originally from East Boston, began his career as a special education teacher before serving seven years as the principal of Revere High School and one year as the district’s assistant superintendent of pupil personnel services. Before coming to Saugus, he spent five years as superintendent in Malden.
He received his masters degree in education leadership from Salem State University, and his PhD from the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
“It’s bittersweet,” DeRuosi said of his departure. “The future now for Saugus, and the next superintendent and school committees to come, is really to look at the instructional pieces (we’ve laid out) and start to pay a lot of attention to them.”
Whittredge said the school board’s next steps will be to meet as soon as possible to discuss the process of assembling a search committee to replace DeRuosi, whose contract will expire on June 30.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with two good chairs, and as town manager, I have nothing but praise for Scott Crabtree,” DeRuosi said. “Retiring at the end of the year is not going to be easy, but on the other hand, I’m committed to staying with the district, working through what will be a very difficult budget season.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
