Two Vermont and one out-of-state educator are the three finalists for the Burlington superintendent’s position, officials announced.
The search to fill the position began after Yaw Obeng announced last November he would be stepping down at the end of June. Obeng was hired in 2015.
The three finalists are Peter Burrows, the superintendent of the Addison Central School District in Addison County; Thomas Flanagan, the chief academic officer of Providence Public Schools, and Erin Maguire, the director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Essex Westford School District.
Burrows has led the Addison Central School District since 2013, and before that he served as a principal in Oregon and taught English in multiple countries. In his cover letter, Burrows pitched himself as a knowledgeable educational leader in the state. He wrote about his commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for students to learn.
Flanagan has worked in the educational field as a teacher and administrator in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., and has experience leading special education programs. In his application he wrote about his desire to cultivate a healthy school district with a positive work environment for staff and a positive learning environment for all students.
Maguire has worked in Vermont schools since 1999, when she worked in and eventually directed special education at Fair Haven High School before moving to the Chittenden Central Supervisory Union and then to Essex Westford in 2017. She wrote in her application about her commitment to serving all students regardless of their needs or backgrounds.
The district hired McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, Executive Recruitment and Development to aid in the job search, and after soliciting feedback from the community, applications for the position closed in early February. According to the district’s website, 24 candidates applied from across the country before being narrowed to three.
A forum for residents to meet the finalists was scheduled for Thursday night at the Burlington High School.
Obeng’s annual salary was approximately $160,000 in 2019.
