SWAMPSCOTT— Former Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis officially passed the baton onto Jason Calichman, who was officially elected as her successor during the School Committee meeting Thursday evening.
School Committee Chair Glenn Paster began the meeting that evening by opening up discussion about recent efforts to search for a Superintendent of Schools after Angelakis retires on June 30th, 2025.
Back in September, Angelakis officially endorsed Calichman as her successor.
Committee member John Giantis was the first to comment on behalf of Calichman, by saying he thought Calichman presented both himself and his vision extremely well.
“Jason has demonstrated very strong leadership skills,” Giantis said. “His years at the middle-school showed that he was someone who had the capacity to make decisions, to stay on top of things immediately and get satisfactory resolutions.”
“Some other things that stood out to me were your problem-solving skills and community engagement,” Giantis said. “As a principle, you’ve gone out of your way to go to events, talk to parents, and have discussions when necessary.”
“Coming off the formal interview we had, I was very pleased,” said Carin Marshall. “I think the process we had was very meaningful, and that we were able to learn a lot from it.”
“I think we’re very lucky that we have an internal candidate, and that we know somebody who’s both dedicated and competent,” Marshall continued.
“Mister Calichman will make a wonderful superintendent. What a lot of people want to see is a strong presence in the community, and you have that,” said committee member Suzanne Wright.
Committee member Amy OConnor added to the discussion, “It’s your sense of community-building, course-correction, and confidence that makes a good leadership style.”
O’Connor then took a moment to thank the members of the community that took time to write letters both in support of Calichman and highlighting some areas of concern that should be addressed in the future.
“I have no doubts and I enthusiastically endorse Jason Calichman for the position,” OConnor said.
“I want to thank the entire school committee for their assistance with this process, we spoke to many, many people about what we should do,” Paster said. He also addressed the community for their diligent efforts to seek out Angelakis’s successor.
Calichman was then elected by a unanimous vote to be the superintendent designee. Effective July 1st, 2025, he will be officially appointed the superintendent of the Swampscott school district for a period of three calendar years.
“I’m a proud mama,” Angelakis said, “I appreciate the committee for going through a thorough process. I look forward seeing Jason get the same longevity.”
“I want to thank everybody for the opportunity. I’m so proud and happy that this has come to fruition, and I won’t let you down,” Calichman said after being elected.
