Already gone: Tahiliani one of four school supt. candidates named by Melrose School Committee

By James Mitchell

The Melrose School Committee announced their four school superintendent finalists in a November 7 press release following the review of 11 candidates that began in October.

One of the candidates should sound familiar to Everett residents: former Supt. Priya Tahiliani, who was recently placed on paid leave following allegations made by 10 teachers as reported by the city’s Human Resources Dept. during the School Committee meeting last week.

According to the statement released by the School Committee, “the Melrose School Committee has announced that the Superintendent Search Screening Committee has forwarded the names of four finalists for the position of Superintendent of Schools beginning in July 2024.”

According to the release, 11 candidates submitted their applications by the Oct. 13, 2023, deadline to the Screening Committee, and on October 17 seven candidates were interviewed on October 23, 25 and 26.

On October 26, the Screening Committee forwarded the names of the following four educators for consideration as the next Superintendent of the Melrose Public Schools: John Buckey, who most recently served as the Superintendent of the Marblehead, Mass., Public Schools; Adam Deleidi, who currently serves as the Chelsea, Mass., Public Schools Deputy Superintendent; Jannell Pearson-Campbell, who most recently served as the Interim Superintendent of Northampton, Mass., Public Schools; and Priya Tahiliani, who most recently served as the Superintendent of the Everett, Mass., Public Schools, according to the release. The school community met with Jannell Pearson-Campbell on Nov. 13 at the MHS Learning Center, followed by an interview with the School Committee that evening. On Nov. 14, the community and school board met with candidate Adam Deleidi. The next round of interviews and community meeting will be scheduled for November 27, with Tahiliani; followed by Buckey, on November 28.

Adam Deleidi is the current Deputy Supt. of Chelsea Public Schools; prior to his role as assistant superintendent, he was principal of the Berkowitz School, assistant principal at the middle school level, an instructional math coach at all levels, a middle school math teacher and an elementary science teacher. Adam has a CAGS in curriculum and instruction from Lesley University and a Master’s in Education and Bachelor of Arts from Salem State University. He was a National Board Certified Teacher and completed the Merrimack Leadership Academy administrative licensure program.

Pearson-Campbell most recently worked as interim superintendent of the Northampton Public Schools from 2022 to June 2023. Before that, she was an assistant superintendent of teaching and learning at Old Rochester Regional School District from 2020 to 2022.

John Buckey was hired as superintendent of Marblehead Public Schools in February 2020, one of two finalists for the job, but resigned in 2023 following negotiations with the School Committee. Buckey earned his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Secondary Education from Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.

Tahiliani, who has never held a principal’s position at an elementary or high school level prior to her three and half years as Everett Schools Supt., has an educational background from Boston University School of Education & College of Arts & Sciences – completing a Collaborative Dual Program, Bachelor of Arts in English, Cum Laude; Bachelor of Science in English Education, Cum Laude; and Minor in Business Administration; and a Master of Liberal Arts in Literature and Creative Writing from Harvard University in November 2013. Prior to Everett, according to The Boston Globe, she was an executive director in the Office of English Language Learners for the Boston Public Schools and was promoted to assistant superintendent. Tahiliani and Kim Tsai filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Boston Public Schools alleging gender-based pay bias. That case was later resolved and dismissed.

During her turbulent tenure in Everett, Tahiliani filed two discrimination lawsuits against the City of Everett and Mayor Carlo DeMaria, the first claiming that the mayor had installed security cameras in her office to spy on her – which were found to have been disconnected over a decade prior to her arrival; and the second, after the School Committee decided not to extend her contract. Both lawsuits received attention from the Boston media. Tahiliani, along with her Dept. Supt., offered students extra credit to hold walkouts during class time and carry signs claiming racism by the mayor and city officials following the announcement of the lawsuits.

In August, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice jointly informed the City of Everett that their preliminary inquiry of allegations of racial discrimination, gender discrimination and sexual harassment by City employees and officials was closed.