Landers Made Permanent Superintendent

WAKEFIELD - At last night's School Committee meeting, members voted unanimously to offer interim Superintendent of Schools Joan Landers the permanent position.
On hearing the news and accepting the job offer, Landers said she was honored and touched by the support she has received from committee members, school personnel, parents and students. “I'm afraid to cry like Hillary did,” she quipped.
Landers has served as interim superintendent since the beginning of last July when Dr. Maynard M. Suffredini Jr. resigned to become superintendent of schools in Somers, Conn.
Annual salary for the position is $140,000. Her current contract runs through the end of the Fiscal Year on June 30, 2008. A subcommittee is being formed to negotiate new contract terms.
She thanked Peter DeRoeve, assistant superintendent of personnel and finance; her executive secretary Karen Fitzpatrick and staff members for providing the support she needed to get the job done.
“I'm really honored to move forward in Wakefield,” she said. “This has been a real learning experience for me and so many people have been supportive. I'm looking forward to serving our students. They're the most valuable possession we have.” - The Wakefield Item