Connelly is eager to get started
Published on June 10th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - It's official. Joseph Connelly is sold on the town's schools and wants to be the next superintendent of schools in Stoneham. He will be announced as such at Thursday night's School Committee meeting.
According to Connelly, his final decision was made last Friday when he visited Stoneham's schools and spoke with administrators and teachers about the school system.
"It was a very warm welcome to say the least," he told the Independent. 'I got a very positive feeling in all the schools. I was very pleased with the atmosphere.
"It was a very, very nice visit."
The School Committee chose Connelly unanimously as their top candidate last week after interviewing the four finalists for the position.
He said that his experience in education, school construction and his family values may have been what set him apart from the other three.
"First and foremost," Connelly said, "I'm very honest. For most of my life, I've admired Stoneham and Stoneham's school system. I also sense that what I bring to Stoneham is a good match for the school system.
"I bring a wealth of experience to the town in terms of education and building projects and I look forward to getting started."
Connelly is presently employed as the superintendent of the Topsfield, Boxford and Middleton Tri-Town School Union; a position he has held for the past 12 years. In that time, he was able to successfully usher in a new era of education in the region by adding Middleton to the mix.
He began his career as most successful educators have; in the classroom.
In 1967, Connelly was hired as an elementary school teacher in Wilmington. It must have been clear to his superiors that he possessed strong leadership skills because three years later, at the age of 25, Connelly became principal of the Wilmington elementary school and ran the school for the next nine years.
He became principal of the junior high school in 1979 and doubled his responsibilities in 1984 when he took over as the acting business manager for the Wilmington School Department.
He left Wilmington in 1986 for what is now known as the Tri-Town School union, a composition of K-6 schools in three towns with an enrollment of approximately 2,500.
Connelly said he is now ready to move on yet again. This time, a major factor in his decision has been the proximity of the position to his home in Reading.
"Living in Reading is a major plus," he said. "It doesn't require my family to relocate. I'm very realistic about the demands of a superintendent's time, but I'll be able to maximize my time in Stoneham and maybe get home a little earlier than I have been."
His home includes his wife and five children, all products of the public school system in Reading.
Connelly said that he understands the tenuous situation in which the School Department remains in terms of budgetary constraints. He also said that he is pleased with the measures taken by Acting Superintendent of Schools Robert Barbarisi.
"I sense that the action that the acting superintendent is taking is very thoughtful and prudent," Connelly said when speaking of prioritizing the needs of the School Department. "He sought input from the staff and he prioritized a list of cuts to the School Committee.
"It appears to be the type of moves that I'd take."
One of the major tasks which he will begin immediately, he said, is instilling in the public a sense of trust in terms of budgetary needs.
"What I would hope is the town will continue to support education as they obviously have in the past," he explained. "As (administrators), we have to show that we appreciate the support and show that we'll be as fiscally responsible as possible."
Connelly said that preliminary discussions about contract terms have already taken place with the School Committee and it appears as if an agreement is imminent.
"I don't anticipate any problems," he said. "I think it will be a pretty smooth process."
The School Committee has set a July 1 deadline for the appointment of a new superintendent.
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