NEWBURYPORT — Superintendent of Schools Sean Gallagher will be sticking with the district after withdrawing his name from the list of finalists for the same job at Beverly Public Schools.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Gallagher called his decision best for himself and his family.
“At this time in my career, Newburyport has become home in every sense and I feel strongly that there is still important work we will continue to do here,” he said.
It was on Saturday that Gallagher, who has been leading the school district since 2018, said he made the ultimate decision to stop pursing the Beverly position.
“I spent the past three weeks really thinking this over. The outpouring of support and encouragement from the Newburyport educators, the families and community members for me to stay in the city has really been moving and overwhelming,” he said. “It was clear to me how strong our shared commitment is to the future.”
Last week, Beverly Public Schools announced he was a finalist, along with Peter Cushing and Jennifer Turner.
Gallagher, a Salem resident, has a strong connection to Beverly having served as Beverly High School principal from 2006 to 2016. He was also the only finalist with prior superintendent experience.
In a written update on the superintendent search Monday, Beverly School Committee President Rachael Abell said Gallagher withdrew his name over the weekend.
Abell thanked Gallagher for his time, adding that the search will continue as scheduled. Cushing and Turner will be interviewed this week, with a vote expected to be taken Thursday.
Newburyport School Committee Vice Chair Juliet Walker said the committee was excited to hear Gallagher will remain with the district.
“We’re glad he’s chosen to stay,” she said. “We’re pleased with the direction of the district under his leadership and look forward to continuing to collaborate with him.”
Along with School Committee Chair Mayor Sean Reardon, Brian Callahan is the only person still on the committee from when Gallagher was hired in 2018.
Elected to his position in 2017, Callahan said he will not be running for reelection this fall. He said it was great to hear Gallagher won’t be going anywhere in that time.
“I’ll be happy to serve out the rest of my School Committee career with him at the head of the schools,” he said. “I’m glad he’s not leaving.”
The news comes after the School Committee voted unanimously to give Gallagher a 3% raise (from $199,395 a year to $205,377), retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1.
Gallagher’s last contract was finalized in 2021 with a few extensions given along the way. His current contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 school year.
Although Gallagher was up for a raise in October, Walker said the committee was busy negotiating various union contracts at the time and tabled the pay hike.
Mayor Sean Reardon said last week the School Committee was satisfied enough with Gallagher’s negotiating on union contracts for teachers and instructional assistants that it took up his raise once again during an executive session April 2.
Five days later, the superintendent received his bump in pay.
The School Committee, according to Walker, would have given Gallagher his raise regardless if he was a finalist for the Beverly job.
Gallagher said his new pay rate had nothing to do with him staying in the city.
“It really didn’t,” he said. “The salary increase has typically come during many different times of the school year. Normally, it just takes care of itself. With all the contract negotiations last fall, it really wasn’t a priority of mine or I think the School Committee.”
Gallagher added that he has no regrets seeking the Beverly job but did not believe it would be fair to educators in that district to go through the full vetting process with his heart still in Newburyport.
“When I decided I would be staying in Newburyport, I felt it was just fair to get out of the process now, instead of going through all the site visits and all of that,” he said.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.