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Mass. Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to step down in latest departure from Healey cabinet
Gov. Maura Healey appointed Salem Schools Superintendent Stephen Zrike to take over after Patrick Tutwiler's three-year tenure.
Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler is stepping down Friday after three years in Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.
Tutwiler, who also served as interim commissioner of the state’s Department of Early and Secondary Education during his tenure, is leaving his position to serve as president and CEO of the Needham-based nonprofit Walker Therapeutic & Educational Programs.
“As I prepare to step into a new role with an organization dedicated to serving children with complex needs, my heart is full,” Tutwiler said in a statement. “Together, we will all continue fighting for the freedom of students to learn, to grow, to imagine, and to belong.”
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Tutwiler’s time as secretary saw the contentious removal of the MCAS as a graduation requirement for high schoolers through a ballot question, a move state leaders, including Tutwiler, opposed. He also prioritized early literacy, securing millions in federal dollars for instruction and tutoring.
“Together, we created nation-leading graduation standards, enrolled thousands more students in early college, added thousands of child care seats, expanded early literacy tutoring and made historic increases to college financial aid,” Healey said in a statement. “But what I’ll remember most about Secretary Tutwiler is his unfailing positivity and the absolute joy on the faces of students across the state any time he walks into the room.”
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Healey appointed Salem Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Zrike to replace Tutwiler next month.
Zrike has led the Salem school district since 2020, decreasing chronic absenteeism from 34 percent in 2021 to less than 20 percent by 2025, the district said. MCAS scores in Salem middle schools also rebounded, while high school scores continued to struggle.
“I look forward to continuing to work alongside students, parents and educators across the state to ensure every student has the support and opportunities they need to succeed,” Zrike said. “I will miss working with Salem’s students, educators, and families; the lessons they have taught me over the past six years will be central to how I lead as Secretary.”
Zrike worked from 2015 to 2020 as the receiver/superintendent at Holyoke Public Schools, which were returned to local control last year after being under state control for more than a decade. He also worked as superintendent in Wakefield and within both the Boston and Chicago school districts.
Tutwiler is the latest Healey appointee to leave the governor’s cabinet. Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca stepped down in 2023 and was replaced by Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who left in 2025 after an embattled tenure.
Terrence Reidy, the state’s public safety secretary, announced his retirement last fall, after Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, Health Secretary Kate Walsh, and Veteran Services Secretary Jon Santiago all stepped down.
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Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw will serve in an interim capacity until Zrike takes over the role in March.
“Dr. Zrike has a proven track record of improving learning for thousands of students across our state and the country,” Healey said. “From his time as a fifth-grade teacher, to principal and onto Superintendent, he has changed lives and inspired those he works with.”
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