By Cate Lecuyer
BEVERLY — Assistant Superintendent of Schools Marie Galinski will emerge from behind the scenes to center stage when she takes over as superintendent on July 1.
Despite concerns about her ability to publicly connect with the community, the School Committee handed her the job last week. And she says she's ready to stand in the spotlight.
"I'm adaptive to the role I'm in," said Galinski, 61. "My community building at this point has been internal. Now I'll be looking at the bigger picture."
As will the public.
Galinski grew up in Lynn and worked as a principal for more than 20 years before coming to Beverly.
She's lived in Andover for just as long with her husband, Fred, a retired Massachusetts Teachers Association office worker who also served as a civilian contractor in Iraq from 2003 to 2007. Now he works part time for the MBTA, driving trains on the Blue Line.
Last week, they took a trip to the Cape, where they go "whenever we can."
"It's far enough away so it's like a vacation, but close enough where you don't have a lot of preparation for travel," Galinski said.
She said they also try to take a family vacation once a year.
Galinski's daughters, Kate, 30, and Erika, 33 — who's the mother of Galinski's 3-year-old grandson, Scott — also live in Andover.
"It's fun having a grandson, because I had two daughters," she said. "It's very different. He's a good diversion for me when things get stressful, and I try to see him every weekend."
And stress will undoubtably play a lead role when she takes over for Superintendent James Hayes.
"It's going to be challenging with the budget, but no matter where you go, that's the name of the game," she said. "At least I know the district well enough to know where to look to begin saving money."
One of the major costs, she said, is in teachers aides, many of whom also receive health insurance. A top priority is to develop stronger relationships with local colleges, and she said there's potential to replace some of the aides with interns that can use the work toward college credits.
"It's something I want to pursue," she said.
Galinski herself got into teaching while at Merrimack College.
"I did a community service project teaching students in Lawrence," she said. "Once I got out, I started to teach. I liked it, and I never left."
She went to St. Mary's High School in Lynn and served as the principal of two Catholic schools on the North Shore — St. Joseph School of All Saints Parish in Haverhill and St. Augustine School in Andover.
She also worked at Worcester Public Schools for nearly a decade — first as the principal at May Street School, for pre-kindergarten through sixth-graders, and then at the Accelerated Learning Laboratory, a pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade school designed around project-based learning.
"I had been a principal for 20-plus years and was interested in getting into central office administration," Galinski said about her move to Beverly six years ago.
"After a while you realize it's time for a different role, and that's a piece of me moving at this point."
With a master's degree in administration from Salem State College and a doctorate of education in administration and leadership from Northeastern University, Galinski said she's excited to be the next superintendent.
"I wasn't looking to do it in another community," she said. "I just feel good about it."
Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salem news.com.
