AMESBURY – After almost 20 years within the Amesbury Public Schools, Superintendent Elizabeth McAndrews recently announced she will retire this summer.
McAndrews began serving as acting superintendent in October 2020 and was officially named superintendent in May 2021. She will continue to serve as superintendent through the 2025-26 school year and will officially retire on June 30, 2026.
McAndrews has worked in education for nearly 34 years, with almost 20 spent in Amesbury.
When reflecting on serving the community for nearly two decades, McAndrews said she has enjoyed progressing through the district’s ranks.
“At the end of this year, I’ll be at the end of my 20th year in Amesbury. And, having come in as an athletic director, assistant principal and worked my way up to that point has been an incredible opportunity to really get to know the Amesbury community, get to know the families, get to know the students, get to know the staff. I feel really, really lucky to have spent ⅔ of my career in Amesbury,” she said.
In light of McAndrew’s decision, Amesbury Mayor and School Committee Chair Kassandra Gove said the search for a new leader is underway.
“The School Committee has initiated a comprehensive search process. After seeking consultant proposals, a contract was signed with the New England School Development Council (NESDEC). Our search consultant lives locally and will guide us through an executive search based on the needs of our public schools,” she said.
Gove said also said final candidate to replace McAndrews will be identified in early 2026.
“The development of a successful candidate profile will include public engagement with both in person and virtual options to provide input. The consultant’s services include advertising and outreach for candidates through a well-developed network in Massachusetts and throughout New England states. Screening and interviews are expected to take several weeks with the final candidate being identified in early 2026 with a start date of July 1st,” Gove said.
Gove also praised McAndrews for her years of service to the school community.
“Elizabeth has always led with her heart and put children first. We extend our deepest gratitude for her service and well wishes for her next chapter,” she said.
McAndrews said as her time within the school system concludes, she will miss the Amesbury community.
“I think there’s something really unique about Amesbury. People are really, really passionate about almost anything that has to do with the schools, with Amesbury. It’s a community rich in culture, rich in tradition and just passion and commitment to whatever it is that they do and I think I’ll miss that,” she said.
McAndrews said she plans to relax in retirement before opening herself up to other potential opportunities.
“My first hope is to enjoy the first work-free summer I’ve had in I don’t know how many years. I love summer and just kind of relax a little bit. But, I am too much of an active person to do nothing. So, I’m just keeping my options open after taking a little bit of time off. I certainly will do something working with people and trying to make a difference and continue to give back. And, let’s just see what opens up as I get closer to that point,” she said.
Currently, the Amesbury Public Schools system is facing another impactful change as a result of the budget override question on the Nov. 4 ballot.
The question proposed by Mayor Kassandra Gove states: “shall the city of Amesbury be allowed to assess an additional $6 million in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the operating budgets of the city and of the public schools for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026?”.
If the override is passed, staff and programs that were cut in fiscal year 25 and 26 could be restored. But, if the override fails, 27 teaching positions would be cut from the public schools and Amesbury Innovation High School could face closure.
The decision will be a made a week from today when Amesbury residents place their votes on the much-talked about question.