Malden School Committee hires Dr. Timothy Sippel as new superintendent

A 5-4 vote confirms selection of candidate who comes from background in Worcester, Mass., and California school districts

By Steve Freker

The Malden School Committee voted to hire Dr. Timothy Sippel as the next Superintendent of the Malden Public Schools at a special meeting held last Thursday night at Malden City Hall. Dr. Sippel, who accepted the job offer the same evening, May 16, was in the process of negotiating a contract with the School Committee earlier this week.

The School Committee chose Dr. Sippel over a former Malden Public Schools and present Medford Public Schools English Language Learners (ELL) director, Paul Texeira, in a 5-4 vote. Voting in favor of Dr. Sippel were School Committee Vice Chair and Superintendent Search Committee (SSC) Co-chair Jennifer Spadafora (Ward 3), SSC Co-chair Sharyn Rose-Zeiberg (Ward 8) and School Committee Members Dawn Macklin (Ward 4), Elizabeth Hortie (Ward 5) and Keith Bernard (Ward 7). Voting for Texeira were Malden Mayor and School Committee Chairperson Gary Christenson and School Committee Members Michael Drummey (Ward 1), Robert McCarthy Jr. (Ward 2), and Joseph Gray (Ward 6).

Ward 7’s Bernard nominated Dr. Sippel for selection while Ward 1’s Drummey, the longest-serving and most senior Malden School Committee member, nominated Texeira.

The vote came Thursday evening, May 16, after two sessions of formal, public interviews of three finalists in the City Council Chambers at Malden City Hall before the members of the School Committee. All members of the School Committee were present in person at the two sessions, except for Ward 4’s Macklin, who participated and ultimately voted on Thursday virtually, via Zoom.

There was a fourth finalist, Robin Desmond, former Chief Academic Officer of the Lowell Public Schools, but she accepted another position as Superintendent of Leominster Public Schools the day before the Malden finalist interviews. Two of the finalist candidates – Brent Conway, an Assistant Superintendent in the Pentucket Regional School District and Texeira, ELL Director in the Medford Public Schools and formerly of Malden’s district – were interviewed for approximately 45 minutes each on Monday evening, May 13. Dr. Sippel was interviewed on May 16 due to the departure of Desmond from the original four-finalist pool.

Following Dr. Sippel’s interview, it was not immediately clear which next steps would be taken by the School Committee, with some of the members saying they “could go either way,” as in taking more time to further discuss the candidates with their constituents, or, deliberating and voting that evening on a candidate.

The School Committee Vice Chair and SSC Co-chair, after some discussion among the members, did note that “there was a time factor” in Malden’s process. “We have already lost one potential candidate,” Spadafora said, referring to Desmond accepting the Leominster post, “and there is another vote in another community tomorrow.” In the latter case, Spadafora was referring to a vote by the city of Lawrence’s School Committee on a new superintendent, where Dr. Sippel was one of four candidates for that post. Ward 7 School Committee member Bernard concurred on the time factor and soon after that part of the discussion formally nominated Dr. Sippel for the post.

The members of the School Committee were clearly split in their support of the two candidates nominated for the post.

Mayor Christenson spoke strongly in support of Texeira, Director of ELL Education and Title III in Medford, who came up through the Malden Public Schools as an educational leader and ELL director before departing for Medford several years ago. “For a number of years we have been talking about growing our own and here is someone who has exactly the qualities and passion to lead our schools that comes from within,” Mayor Christenson said. “Mr. Texeira is an excellent choice as our next superintendent and is ready to lead. We would stand for him with support and mentorship to ensure his success at this position.”

The Mayor and others pointed out that Malden has gone outside the district for its past two superintendents, and that the longevity the School Committee members have expressed a desire for has not materialized. Here was a chance in Texeira, the Mayor and School Committee members Drummey, McCarthy and Gray agreed, to hire someone familiar with the district and many of the personnel and staff in place “to hit the ground running.”

Vice Chair Spadafora said she was in favor of Dr. Sippel “primarily for the experience factor. [Dr. Sippel] has had demonstrated experience in central administration and supervision of a school district, which we can’t say about some of our past selectees. Here is an opportunity to go with the experience.”

The vote was 5-4 in favor of Dr. Sippel, a one-vote simple majority, which is the minimum required in Malden. It was the third consecutive split in the past three superintendent selections: this year 2024, in 2021 when present Superintendent Dr. Ligia Noriega-Murphy was hired and in 2017 when former Superintendent John Oteri (2017-2021) was selected.

The next superintendent of the Malden Public Schools comes from the Worcester Public Schools (WPS), where he has been employed for the past five years in two educational leadership positions, the most recent post as Executive Director of Schools for the WPS South Quadrant, which includes 13 schools – elementary, middle schools, high schools – more than 6,000 students, since October 2022.

Dr. Sippel, who is bilingual and speaks fluent Spanish, also served as Manager for Instruction and School Leadership for Secondary Schools for the Worcester Public Schools from 2020 to October 2022. Before relocating to the East Coast, where he completed his doctoral studies at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, he spent most of his educational career on the West Coast, in California, where from 1991-2017 he was first a classroom teacher, then an Assistant Principal and Principal at John Muir High School – with just over 1,000 students – located in Pasadena, Calif.

Dr. Sippel, when hiring negotiations are confirmed, on July 1 will replace Dr. Noriega-Murphy, whose contract expires on June 30.