Education

State’s interim K-12 education commissioner selected to take office in March

Russell Johnston, the state's deputy commissioner of education, was selected unanimously to serve as acting commissioner of education after the current commissioner steps down in March.

New interim Massachusetts State Education Commissioner, Russell Johnston got a round of applause on his appointment. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

By Emily Spatz

2 minutes to read

Russell Johnston was unanimously selected Tuesday to serve as the state’s acting commissioner of education after longtime Commissioner Jeffrey Riley steps down in March. 

Johnston, the current deputy commissioner of education, will take the role of acting commissioner March 15. Riley, who has served as commissioner for six years, announced Feb. 15 that he would be stepping down due to personal reasons and recommended Johnston to fill his role while a new commissioner is selected.

Johnston worked as a special education teacher and administrator before becoming the superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools in 2010. He has been working with the state’s education department since 2014, when he became the state’s senior associate commissioner.

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He was selected to be interim commissioner by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at a Tuesday meeting and was approved by the board’s secretary after the motion, which requires at least eight out of 11 members to pass.

In a memo sent before the vote Tuesday, the board’s Chair Katherine Craven recommended Johnston and said the board is “fortunate” to have him as a candidate for the role. 

“The Board needs to vote to recommend an Acting Commissioner to the Secretary of Education for appointment,” Craven wrote. “We are fortunate that Deputy Commissioner Russell Johnston is willing and able to serve in this role during the transition period.”

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In the memo, Craven praised Riley’s leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said was the most challenging period of his tenure. Riley cited his “role as a son to aging parents” and the state’s needs for a “commissioner who can commit on an all-in basis for at least another five years” as reasons for his resignation. 

“During an historic time of pandemic, societal and educational disruption, Commissioner Riley led the Commonwealth’s schools by prioritizing the urgent need to return children to in-person learning,” Craven wrote. “From his advocacy for universal school meals, his groundbreaking work in creating, championing, and expanding the Early College program across Massachusetts, his nationally recognized work on Deeper Learning, to his support for access to high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction for all students, Massachusetts students will enjoy the benefits of his work for years to come.”

Johnston’s starting salary rate will be $246,636, according to Craven’s memo. 

The board will discuss the process to select the next commissioner at a meeting March 26. 

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