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Cambridge School Committee hires interim superintendent to stay in role
"I trust he will continue to seek input and listen, perhaps even more deeply than educators who have firsthand classroom experience.”
After ousting the previous Cambridge Public Schools superintendent last year, the School Committee offered the job to David Murphy, an internal hire who had been already serving as interim superintendent.
Murphy, the district’s former chief operating officer, took over superintendent duties last summer after the School Committee terminated former Superintendent Victoria Greer’s contract a year early. The district initially set a one-year deadline to replace Greer.
Murphy was one of three finalists alongside Lourenço Garcia, a Revere Public Schools assistant superintendent, and Magaly Sanchez, Chief Family Advancement Officer for Boston Public Schools. The search was national, Cambridge Public Schools said.
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“I am grateful for the vote of confidence in the work our team is doing represented by tonight’s vote,” Murphy said in a statement. “I am humbled by the responsibility to lead this district and will continue to do so with the best interests of our students in mind.”
At a special meeting on Monday, five committee members voted for Murphy. Two — Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons and Committee Vice Chair Caroline Hunter — voted for Sanchez.
“I am looking for something different,” Simmons said before the vote. “When I look at the achievement gap, which is something we talk about all the time, I was looking for someone that had a track record of having done it.”
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Last week, concerns arose after it emerged that Garcia sued his bank after losing $751,500 of his own money in a cryptocurrency scam, The Boston Globe reported. He was also accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife in a 2013 divorce proceeding, per the Globe.
‘There is great value in consistency, which we haven’t had long tenures in recent years’
Both Sanchez and Murphy hold doctorates, and Murphy received a law degree from Boston College. Murphy previously served as an assistant superintendent in Medford Public Schools, in various roles with BPS, as an advisor to the superintendent of Lowell Public Schools, and as Attleboro School Committee chair.
Murphy has never been in front of a classroom as a teacher. He has now served at the helm of the district for 15 months, including through the closure of an elementary school and the implementation of a universal preschool program. The district also credited him with expanding learning programs at multiple school and finalizing multiple collective bargaining processes related to those programs.
“We have many more data points,” said member Rachel Weinstein, referring to Murphy compared to the other candidates. “Staff in a wide variety of roles have reached out in support of his candidacy, both because they believe in his leadership and because there is great value in consistency, which we haven’t had long tenures in recent years.”
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Before her termination, Greer had received a “needs improvement” rating in her annual review in 2023. The School Committee cited concerns in her hiring processes, her management, and communication with stakeholders, Weinstein wrote in her monthly blog. The district terminated her contract “without good cause” and paid Greer more than $200,000 in severance pay.
At the meeting Monday, Weinstein noted that Murphy was the third superintendent in her six years on the committee.
“I don’t believe that our students deserve another year-plus of someone getting up to speed so long as the person in the role is doing a great job, which is the case,” Weinstein said. “Having heard Mr. Murphy’s deference for teachers and staff closest to students, I trust he will continue to seek input and listen, perhaps even more deeply than educators who have firsthand classroom experience.”
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