Michael Devine named new school superintendent

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By Susan Ovans

The Hull School Committee voted Monday evening to promote Hull High School Principal Michael Devine to the helm of the town's three public schools.

The original school board vote was 3-2 in favor of Devine. Chairman Eric Hipp and board members Kelley Huxtable and Jennifer Fleming voted for him.

SchoolCom members Stephanie Peters and David Twombly cast their votes for Assistant Superintendent Judith Kuehn. When it became clear that she could not win a board majority, Peters and Twombly made the vote for Devine unanimous.

During the course of four hours of interviews and deliberations, board members repeatedly spoke of how conflicted they were in having to choose between two stellar in-house candidates, agreeing among themselves that they could not make a bad choice.

Board members credited current Superintendent Kathleen Tyrell for having successfully mentored two colleagues to prepare them to lead school districts of their own.

After 10 years as Hull's superintendent, Tyrell will retire next month.

A full account of Monday's meeting will be published in Thursday's Hull Times.

 

 

SUPERINTENDENT TYRELL WILL RETIRE AUG. 1

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By Susan Ovans

Dr. Kathleen Tyrell has given notice of her intention to retire as of Aug. 1.

Tyrell, who has led the schools for a decade, submitted her resignation to Hull School Committee Chairman Eric Hipp Thursday morning.

The superintendent said she wanted to wait until the end of town meeting before announcing her decision so that it wouldn’t be a distraction.

Town meeting ended late Wednesday night, after three sessions.

She informed Hull Public Schools’ staff in an intraschool message this afternoon that ended with a link to the '60s anthem by The Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn." Here's her message and the link:

Dear Colleagues,

I send this email with much appreciation for all you do for our children.  I have had the honor of being your superintendent for the past ten years, and I have had the privilege of working with many, many kind and dedicated people. Thank you for taking this journey of continuous progress with me.  I wish the entire staff, all students, and the School Committee every good fortune as I move into retirement mid-summer.  I want you to know that I am committed to working to ensure a smooth transition.  Please take a few minutes to enjoy one of my favorite songs. With appreciation and admiration, Kathleen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKP4cfU28vM

A complete story about Tyrell’s retirement and what it may portend for Hull’s three public schools will be published in the May 11 Hull Times.