The following was sent out to the school community via email this morning:

To the Wayland Community,

With mixed emotions, I am writing to announce that I have decided to retire from my position as Superintendent of Schools at the end of June. Although it’s been a seemingly brief 41 years (!) since I began working as a teacher, this decision is not about any loss of enthusiasm or energy for the work or for the community. Rather, the decision is a personal one, having everything to do with my family and the workings of the retirement system.

I love working in Wayland. I have felt so fortunate to be Wayland’s superintendent – fortunate to be among such talented staff, dedicated community servants (starting with the School Committee), supportive parents, and amazing students. This constellation of talent and devotion makes Wayland a great place, not just to work but, most importantly, for schooling. I will experience stepping away from all of this as a great loss. In a paradoxical way, that’s another gift: knowing I’m going to end my career in public education with pride and joy in my workplace.

Of course, there are months ahead of us before I depart. I’m announcing this now so that the School Committee has enough time to put a proper search process in place. We still have a lot of work to do, engaging in the UNITED goals we laid out at the opening of school. I’m looking forward to this and to all that we will accomplish in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Paul Stein
Superintendent of Schools