Malden Public Schools taking next steps for leadership change at high school

Search for new MHS principal for 2026-2027 school year underway, and input will be sought beginning in January

Special to the Advocate

Malden Superintendent of Schools Timothy Sippel, Ed.L.D. announced this week some next steps in the process of a leadership change and transition at Malden High School for the 2026-2027 school year. In an email message to Malden Public Schools staff and students’ caregivers this week, Supt. Sippel outlined a schedule that begins in the month of January, where there will be opportunities for various groups to provide input in the process of selecting a new Malden High principal for the next school year. The 2025-2026 school year ends on June 30, 2026, and the 2026-2027 school year begins on July 1, 2026.

The Malden Superintendent also provided a timetable for the search and selection process, as follows, including the formal job posting of the MHS principal position this week:

• Week of December 15 (this week) —Job posting for the MHS Principal position
• January 23, 2026 — Deadline for submitting applications
• Week of January 26 — Interviews with the first-round panel
• Week of February 2 — Second-round interviews with district leadership
• February 13 — Finalist(s) for the position publicly announced
• Week of February 23 — Site visit(s) of finalist(s) to MHS & final interview(s) with the Superintendent
• Week of March 2 — Announcement of appointment of the next MHS Principal

Superintendent Sippel, in his message to MPS staff and students’ caregivers, stated, “As a next step, in the coming weeks I will engage with staff, caregivers, and students to learn more about their experiences at MHS and their hopes for the future.”

Tentative dates for sessions where input/feedback will be solicited are as follows, Supt. Sippel stated:

• Weeks of January 12 & 19 — Voluntary listening sessions for staff during the school day
• Weeks of January 12 & 19 — Listening sessions for parents and caregivers
• Weeks of January 12 & 19 — Student focus groups and listening sessions
• January 16-23 — Survey of all members of the school community

“The appointment of school principals is one of my most important responsibilities as superintendent – and I assure you that I am undertaking it with the most deliberate care and thoughtfulness,” Supt. Sippel stated in his message. “Your input and involvement in selecting the school’s next leader will be extremely important, and I look forward to including the voices of our staff, students, families, and community in the process.”

Earlier this month, Supt. Sippel announced — in an email message to staff and caregivers — that “the district will be recruiting a new principal to lead Malden High School beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.” Several days after the announcement was made, a large group of Malden High School students organized and a carried out a “walkout” protest from the school — expressing support for MHS Principal Chris Mastrangelo, whose present, three-year contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

According to reports, Principal Mastrangelo was seeking a one-year extension to his contract, which would give him the required number of years for a full pension upon his retirement. Mastrangelo is in his ninth year as MHS Principal and 18th year overall in the Malden Public Schools. Before that, he had been employed in the Peabody Public Schools and Wakefield Public Schools.

On Monday, December 7, during school hours, for about an hour, the students left the Malden High building and walked to Malden City Hall, some of them stopping at the Malden Public Schools headquarters at 110 Pleasant St., before returning to the high school.

Later that evening of December 7, at the regular Malden School Committee meeting, several dozen Malden High teachers and about 20 students appeared. Ten staff members and seven students addressed the School Committee during the public comment portion of the meeting, all of them expressing disagreement with the decision of the Superintendent to not extend the principal’s contract through the 2026-2027 school year. No members of the School Committee nor the Superintendent publicly responded to the speakers’ statements at the meeting.

Superintendent Sipple did address the remarks that he has received since the decision on the leadership change in this week’s email message. “To those of you who have already shared your perspectives related to the impending leadership transition at Malden High School, I want to say thank you. I have heard the sincerity and passion behind your voices,” he stated.

“ I appreciate how invested our entire community is in the future of Malden High. While I cannot discuss any individual personnel decisions– and I realize this may be very frustrating– I am committed to continuing to listen to your ideas regarding the future of Malden High School,” Supt. Sippel added in his message.