SWAMPSCOTT — The School Committee voted unanimously (5-0) Wednesday night to extend the contract of Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis to June 2025, so she will oversee the construction of the new elementary school at the current Stanley Elementary site at 10 Whitman Road.
She will also receive a pay raise of 2 percent, raising her salary from $186,000 to $190,161.
The new school, which will combine the district’s three existing elementary schools into one building, was approved by the town in an election that took place on Oct 19. Construction of the $98 million school will be completed in the summer of 2025.
Angelakis was hired as superintendent in 2014, and received an extension for the 2020-21 school year in 2017 with a pay raise of 1.5 percent. She has worked in the Swampscott Public Schools for more than 30 years, starting as a teacher in 1990 and then being promoted to principal, assistant superintendent and eventually public school superintendent.
Committee Chair Amy O’Connor listed some of the superintendent’s accomplishments during these months, such as the town becoming a one-to-one school, meaning that almost every student has an electronic learning device like a laptop or a tablet.
“As a committee, we are in unanimous agreement that Superintendent Angelakis is a skilled, experienced, thoughtful leader. Her peers look to her for advice when faced with challenging situations,” said O’Connor. “She represents all that we want our district to be.”
When the committee announced her new contract and pay raise, Angelakis accepted with gratitude, thanking her team, fellow principals and students. She also commented on her time as a teacher and how becoming superintendent was a lifelong dream of hers.
“I started teaching in this district in 1990, and I loved teaching for 14 years,” Angelakis said. “It was always my dream to retire from this district and be here throughout my years. It looks like I will attain that dream in 2025.”
Vice Chair and School Building Committee member Suzanne Wright offered similar praise of Angelakis’ tenure, particularly on how she was committed to attending meetings for the design and planning of the elementary school.
“On top of your day job, this is your second day job,” Wright said. “I understand how difficult these past two years have been and how much you’ve worked and how hard you worked and how successfully this district is doing.”
When conducting the evaluation, committee members looked at the past 20 months as an interval rather than the 2020-21 school year, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other agenda items included a celebration of Swampscott high school sports teams and adding library and technology reports to the surplus list.
The next School Committee meeting will take place on Jan. 12.
