Update: The school committee on Monday voted 6-4 not to renew Priya Tahiliani's contract.
Contract renewals for school superintendents are rarely controversial—especially when qualified candidates are in short supply, and when the candidate in question has just been lauded by the state association of superintendents for her work.
And yet in Everett, where the school district is still reeling from the conviction of a longtime former school superintendent for indecent assault, local politics have a reputation for being complex.
So the outcome of the vote anticipated Monday night on whether or not to renew the contract of the current superintendent, Priya Tahiliani, is uncertain. Everett’s Mayor Carlo DeMaria has made it clear he wants Tahiliani out.
Tahiliani took on the role in December of 2019, unanimously appointed by the school committee after a search that, for the first time, included teachers and community members. She was the first superintendent who didn't come up through the ranks of the Everett school district. And as a woman of Indian origin, she was the first superintendent of color in a school district where more than 80% of the student body is non-white, and where teachers are 89% white.
Her hiring marked a new chapter for Everett, which in recent years has seen several incidents of racism in city government.
But Tahiliani's position as superintendent has become another episode of strife in the city’s history.
“There’s an injustice to this,” said Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) which gave Tahiliani a statewide award last year.
“I just can’t stand by," Scott said, acknowledging that it's unusual for MASS to publicly weigh in on a local issue.
“We can tell you a lot about, you know, the competency skills that she has. And we can also know by just simply reading the newspaper how politicized the Everett situation has become,” Scott said. “So the question really comes down to, ‘Are we making a decision based on the politics? Are we making the decision based on what’s in the best interests of kids?'”
Scott also said Everett’s schools need the “stable leadership” Tahiliani had provided.
Tahiliani’s predecessor, Frederick Foresteire, who held the position for nearly three decades, was recently released from jail pending an appeal of his conviction of assault on a female employee. Last month, he also pleaded guilty to two additional counts of indecent assault and battery on two women he supervised at the Everett Public School Department.
Trying to “oust” her
Early on, Tahiliani diversified district leadership and the teacher workforce, and community members say she bridged gaps between schools and families.
But just over two years into her tenure, she filed a discrimination complaint against the city, the mayor and the school committee alleging “blatant and overt acts of discrimination and retaliation,” alleging that the mayor and his allies on the school committee were trying to “oust” her.
The complaint, filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and now potentially heading to Superior Court, also accused the mayor and other members of the school committee of interfering with her day-to-day management of the district. Tahiliani alleged that Mayor DeMaria was troubled when she filled open positions with minority candidates, accusing her of "racism" because he felt she hired only people of color and excluded white people.
Tahiliani had received generally positive performance reviews from the school committee—and from the mayor in 2021. In 2022, the school committee again gave mostly positive reviews, but the mayor was the lone member who did not submit an appraisal.
In November, the school committee vote to approve contract negotiations with Tahiliani narrowly passed, with the mayor and several others voting against it. Months before, the mayor had publicly signaled his feelings about the issue; he cited “personal attacks” against him from supporters of Tahiliani that “divide” the city.
“I’ve never seen this city in such a bad way in all my 30 years serving in government,” DeMaria said.
Being “Everett enough”
Everett’s demographics have shifted rapidly over the decades; the majority of the city now is non-white, but those in political power are still mostly white. DeMaria, who has been in local politics in Everett for most of his life, is in his fifth term as mayor. His office declined requests for comment.
Residents talk openly about what it means to be “Everett enough” to hold political power.
“Everett has always been what I refer to as the ‘good old boys’ network,” said Sandy Juliano, who was born and raised in Everett and has a real estate business there. “You’re an insider and that’s all there is to it.”
Juliano praised Tahiliani as “someone who does her homework,” but predicted the mayor would block her reappointment.
“Carlo does not like her, and Carlo can’t control her. It’s all about control for this mayor—it really is. It’s just as simple as that,” said Juliano, “This is going to come down to politics. Carlo is going to get his way.”
“You’re not going to be very liked”
More than 70% of Everett’s students are considered low-income by the state, and more than a third are English language learners.
Rosy Torres, who is Hispanic, serves on the Parent Teacher organization at the Madeline English school where her son is in the fifth grade. She refers to Tahiliani as “a very empowering individual.”
“Change is always hard. And it makes people feel uncomfortable, especially when we’re talking about race and the underserved population,” said Torres. ”It’s something that goes with the territory. You’re not going to be very liked.”
17-year-old Thalia Patino Molano, a junior at Everett High School, said she’s watched all of the school committee meetings over the past three years. She said Tahiliani returned students' emails, and had made students of color feel heard.
“She has gone out of her way to connect with students on her own,” Molano said.
Not having a vote: “A gunfight without a gun”
Before Tahiliani’s tenure, the mayor held only an honorary role on the school committee. But in 2021, the city council changed the city charter to allow the mayor to have a vote—a move that has been questioned by the school committee attorney Robert Galvin, in part because it was done without a public hearing.
It is not unusual for mayors to hold a voting position on a school committee. And in a city council meeting late last month, the mayor defended the charter change, saying it was no different than having responsibility for the police or fire chief.
And he further likened not having a vote to going into "a gunfight without a gun."
But some of Tahiliani's supporters saw it as a decisive turn against Tahiliani.
In recent school committee meetings, several Everett residents have stood at the public microphone to urge the school committee to renew Tahiliani’s contract.
“Politics should be set aside, personal differences,” said Everett resident Bill Thompson in one meeting. “This ain't a personality club. if someone does a good job, they should be recognized for that and rewarded.”
