Stone Heading Back to Dracut for Superintendent Job

Steven Stone, the Peabody schools' special education director, will be returning to Dracut soon.

Stone, 47, was hired last week to become Dracut's new superintendent, reports the Lowell Sun. That creates the fourth administrative vacancy now () before incoming Peabody Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola is set to take over on July 1.

Stone was hired in 2010 to replace Patricia Bullard, who also departed after two years in the post. Bullard took a similar job in North Reading. She was promoted to the Peabody job after Jean Shea retired.

The Sun reports that Stone, who served as Dracut's special education director before coming to Peabody, was initially considered for the top post by some of that town's school board members before a decision was then made to conduct a widespread search. This time Stone was one of three finalists.

He was also a finalist in a superintendent search in Billerica this spring.

The initial offer for the Dracut job was $149,500, according to the Sun, and plans are for Stone to begin July 1. He earned $103,000 last year in Peabody.