The School Committee in the Worcester County town of Leicester has selected Brett Kustigian, superintendent of Quaboag Regional Public Schools, to be the district’s new public schools chief, a position for which Northampton Superintendent John Provost had been a finalist.
During a hybrid meeting on Wednesday night, committee member Donna McCance highlighted Provost’s “experience with budget books and budget details,” “his focus on the importance of relationships” and a data-driven approach to identifying struggling students.
When each member was asked to state their preferred candidate, Kustigian earned the pick of four members, while McCance selected Provost. She read a brief statement praising Provost as “willing to take on challenges.”
“During his discussion about core values, he mentioned humility, empathy, foresight and compassion,” McCance said.
All four finalists the committee considered are current superintendents — Marlene DiLeo of Ware, Patricia Gardner of Palmer, Kustigian and Provost.
“It sounds cliche to say we had four great candidates, but we did,” chair Tom Lauder said. “It’s been quite a process.”
Provost is still a finalist to serve as superintendent in the Athol-Royalston Regional School District; DiLeo, who also lost out on the Leicester job, is a finalist there, as well. The School Committee will make its pick after interviewing each candidate next week.
The other two finalists to take over in Athol-Royalston on July 1 are Cynthia Kennedy, the district’s director of intervention and acceleration, and Matt Ehrenworth, assistant superintendent at Blackstone-Millville Regional School District.
Provost’s contract with Northampton extends through June 2025 but can be terminated with notice. He has held the position since 2014.