This week has brought three superintendent finalists through Chelsea’s schools for intensive community engagement, with each candidate participating in forums and meetings throughout the district.
Anthony Parker, principal of Weston High, was the first to visit on Monday, meeting with teachers, staff members, business representatives, and community members at an evening forum held at the Williams School. Ligia Noriega-Murphy, assistant superintendent of secondary schools in Boston Public Schools, followed the same schedule on Tuesday. Today, May 2, Almudena Abeyta, assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for Somerville Public Schools, will complete the week’s visits with a forum beginning at 4:30 p.m.
According to School Committeewoman Jeannette Velez, the School Committee will conduct separate rounds of public interviews with each candidate in the same sequence as their community visits.
The public is invited to all interviews, which will take place in the evenings at City Hall Council Chambers.
The Committee aims to vote on May 9, following the final interview, to select the next superintendent and begin contract negotiations. Should everything proceed as planned, the chosen candidate would assume the position on July 1.
During Monday’s forum, Parker expressed strong interest in Chelsea, describing it as both a challenge and an opportunity for growth. Despite spending most of his career in suburban districts like Newton and Weston, he indicated confidence in his ability to succeed in Chelsea. “I like what I read about Chelsea and I like
the emphasis on building bridges and the pathways,” he said. “I like the
diversity of it…It was different enough for me to be interesting. I think any
district is a challenge. It’s the opportunity to build on what is here. What
you have is Chelsea is you have a great district that wants to be excellent in
many ways. I believe I can help you do that.”
Parker also noted that he has not pursued positions with any other districts. “This is where I want to be,” he said.
The forum drew limited attendance, likely due to insufficient advance publicity from the Collins Center, which is overseeing the superintendent search.
Members of the Chelsea Collaborative and student representatives from the organization were present in greater numbers, bringing substantive questions to the discussion.
Topics ranged widely, including expulsion policies, student opportunities, and gun violence prevention.
Parker shared that his own students at Weston High, like Chelsea students last year, had organized a walkout focused on school safety.
He emphasized his commitment to amplifying student voices—a priority that has gained momentum at Chelsea High over the past year. Students there have successfully organized the walkout and advocated for moving graduation to the new outdoor turf field.
“I walked out with them,” he said. “We knew
it was happening and supported it. It was a genuinely student-led effort. We
need to support that even if we disagree with that they want to do. I think if
a district didn’t support students on that particular situation, I think they
missed out.”
Regarding the differences between suburban Weston and urban Chelsea, Parker acknowledged that he would likely need time to adjust to community and parent participation patterns, which tend to be stronger in Weston than in Chelsea.
“If our parents cannot make meetings or
conferences because they are working multiple jobs or are too busy, then we
need to go to them,” he said. “I would spend time finding out where they are
and where I need to go to engage them.”
The School Committee’s public interviews with all three candidates will occur next week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with all sessions open to the public.
Anthony Parker, Weston High’s principal, attentively considers a question from students at Monday’s community forum at the Williams School. The three finalists have spent this week visiting Chelsea for tours and public forums. The School Committee will hold public interviews with all three candidates next week, with a decision expected on May 9.