Town’s top education finance officer honored

Saugus Public Schools’ Pola Andrews recognized by her peers as one the state’s top school business officials

The Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) has presented its 2025 President’s Award to Pola G. Andrews, the longtime Executive Director of Finance and Administration for Saugus Public Schools.

“Ms. Andrews elevates the profession every day with her expertise, leadership, and compassion,” said Daniel Gale, who has served as President of the MASBO Board of Directors over the past year.

“With valuable experience in both the private and public sectors, she approaches her job with relentless creativity, integrity, and a singular focus on the needs of schools and students,” he said.

Gale, the Director of Finance and Operations for Hudson Public Schools, made the announcement during the association’s recent Annual Institute in Falmouth.

In addition to immense contributions in her own school district, Andrews has made an impact across the Commonwealth – including serving as a mentor in MASBO’s Professional Support Program, according to Gale. As a member of the Feed Kids Coalition sponsored by Project Bread, she also advocated successfully at the state level for universal school meals in Massachusetts, Gale said.

MASBO’s Executive Director, Margaret Raymond Driscoll, was at last Thursday (June 26) night’s Saugus School Committee meeting to make the formal presentation to Andrews, who has served as the top finance officer in the town’s School Department for nearly 13 years. “It’s such a pleasure to be here for what is really a celebration,” Driscoll said, in addressing the School Committee on what she called “our most prestigious annual award.”

The MASBO President’s Award is sponsored by Boston Business Technologies and includes a $1,500 contribution to a Massachusetts school district of the winner’s choosing. MASBO is a professional association for finance and operations professionals employed by public education institutions in Massachusetts. The President’s Award is given in recognition of a recipient’s outstanding contribution to his or her school system, community and/or to MASBRO.

Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Michael C. Hashem highlighted Andrews’ “dedication and compassion,” noting that she “has been and continues to be a champion for equity and the assurance that all students have what is needed to find success.”

During last week’s School Committee meeting, the committee’s Chair, Vincent Serino, said he’s been “fortunate to work with” Andrews during two periods on the School Committee – his first time as a member back in 2013 and during the last four years he’s served on the committee. “It just amazes me what she gets done and the time period she gets it done,” Serino said, calling the award “well deserved.”

Andrews previously worked for two years as Business Manager for the Hamilton-Wenham School District. Prior to leadership roles in school districts, she worked for a decade as a senior staff accountant at Citizens Energy Corporation.

She has earned licensure as an Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). She has also earned the rigorous national credential of Certified Administrator for Finance and Operations from ASBO International, which is MASBO’s parent organization.

From 1979 to 1983, Andrews attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy, a Catholic, all-female college preparatory school located within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College in 1987 and a master’s degree in leadership and administration from Boston College in 2016.

Andrews has lived in Saugus for 28 years. She has three children who graduated from Saugus High School – in 2010, 2013 and 2016.

  (Editor’s Note: This story is based in part on a press release issued this week by the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials. The group provides opportunities for its members to engage in professional development, networking, collaboration and advocacy in support of high-quality teaching and learning in K-12 public school districts throughout the state. For more information, visit www.masbo.org.)