MANSFIELD — The Mansfield School Committee has announced three finalists for the Superintendent position, which will become vacant upon Superintendent Teresa Murphy’s retirement from the District in June 2025.
The finalists were recommended to the School Committee by the Superintendent Search Committee, which consists of 13 members who represent a cross-section of the Mansfield school community, including School Committee members, town officials, parents/guardians, administrators, teachers, staff, and one MHS student. The search committee is co-chaired and led by School Committee members Lynn Cavicchi and Steve Schoonveld.
The finalists (listed in alphabetical order) are East Bridgewater Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Legault, Middleboro Public Schools Superintendent Carolyn Lyons, and North Attleborough Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Michelle McKeon.
Legault has served as Superintendent of East Bridgewater Public Schools for 10 years. Prior to that, she served as the Superintendent of Whitehall Central School District in New York. She has also worked in the Central Falls School District (Rhode Island) as a principal, assistant principal, and physical education teacher. Legault holds a Master of Education (M.Ed) in Educational Leadership and Administration from Providence College and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) from the State University of New York in Plattsburgh, NY.
Lyons has served as the Superintendent of Middleborough Public Schools since 2022. Prior to assuming this position, she was the Director of Pupil Personnel Services and held the position of Secondary Special Education TEAM Facilitator in Middleborough. Before joining the Middleborough Public Schools, Lyons practiced education law with the firm of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey, and Lehane, LLP. With a focus on special education law, Lyons assisted in the representation of school districts across Massachusetts. Lyons holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA.
McKeon has served as the Assistant Superintendent of North Attleborough Public Schools since 2019. Prior to this position, she held several positions within North Attleborough Public Schools, including School Principal, Lead Elementary Principal, Assistant Principal and Elementary and Special Education Teacher. She holds an M.Ed (Master of Education) in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA and will have her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Boston University conferred in May 2025.
With support from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), the School Committee kicked off the search process in December by sharing a survey with District stakeholders as part of its community engagement efforts. In total, the Committee received 394 responses from stakeholders discussing their wants/hopes for the next superintendent. In mid-December, the School Committee also hosted in-person and virtual listening sessions facilitated by MASC to seek additional input from stakeholders.
The District received 22 applications for the position. After screening all applications, the Search Committee members interviewed eight candidates during the last two weeks of January. At its Jan. 29 meeting, the Search Committee voted to submit three finalists to the School Committee for consideration as Mansfield’s next Superintendent, and at its Jan. 30 meeting, the School Committee voted to accept those finalists
The three finalists, Legault, Lyons, and McKeon, will visit the District on Feb. 3, 4, and 5. The School Committee will interview each candidate on Feb. 8 and will meet again on Feb. 10 to deliberate and make their decision. The finalist will be introduced at the Feb. 11 School Committee Meeting.
Mansfield Public Schools would like to invite parents/guardians and residents to attend the three community sessions and meet the chosen finalists for the Superintendent position.
WHEN:
Monday, Feb. 3, from 5:30-6:45 p.m., meet candidate Carolyn Lyons
Tuesday, Feb. 4, from 5:30-6:45 p.m., meet candidate Elizabeth Legault
Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 5:30-6:45 p.m., meet candidate Michelle McKeon
WHERE:
Mansfield High School Library, 250 East Street, Mansfield
At the end of each session, attendees can fill out a survey form to provide feedback to the School Committee about the three candidates.
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