Cambridge Public Schools name interim superintendent after superintendent voted out

David Murphy, the current chief operating officer for Cambridge Public Schools, will serve for at least 90 days and up to one year.

After choosing to terminate their current superintendent’s contract, the Cambridge School Committee named a school administrator as interim superintendent.

David Murphy, the current chief operating officer, joined Cambridge Public Schools in January of 2023 and will take over superintendent duties starting July 1, the district announced Wednesday. With the recommendation of current Superintendent Victoria Greer, Murphy was selected and will serve for at least 90 days and up to one year.

In a meeting on Tuesday, the Committee said they could name another interim within the year or extend Murphy’s contract. The Committee said they will begin their search for a permanent replacement, which could take a year or more, after July 4.

The hole in leadership came after the Committee chose to terminate Greer’s contract a year early. Her last day is June 30, Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons said at the meeting.

Simmons said the one year contract limit was set to push the Committee to search for a strong candidate, either as another temporary leader or as Cambridge’s new superintendent.

“We have a lot more flexibility than you think that we have,” Simmons said about keeping Murphy or not. “We decided to discharge the superintendent June 30, so we have to work with the timeline that you’ve given us.”

Murphy previously worked in administrative positions at Medford Public Schools and Boston Public Schools. He also served on the Attleboro School Committee and advised the superintendent of Lowell Public Schools, CPS said.

Simmons said Murphy is “willing to serve for whatever this school committee decides,” but “would love” to be superintendent. His current role will either be backfilled or spread among Cambridge’s staff, depending on Murphy’s recommendation, the Committee said.

“(Murphy’s contract) gives us the opportunity to have a discussion but also gives us an opportunity to not have a void,” Simmons said.

Why Greer was voted out

Cambridge’s decision to part ways with Greer came after a tumultuous year for the superintendent, who was voted out in May by a 5-2 vote from the Committee. She disappointed in a yearly review last summer and came under fire from parents about an elementary school principal she hired.

Kathleen Smith, the principal at Graham and Parks School, was hired in 2022 after eight years as principal at Underwood Elementary in Newton, where she was the subject of an internal investigation into reports of a toxic work environment.

A coalition of Cambridge parents raised concerns about Smith, and the district launched an external investigation in February. In a letter to the School Committee earlier this year, parents called her hiring a “unacceptable failure of due diligence.”

Greer’s annual review reflected similar concerns. Last summer, Greer received a “needs improvement” rating from the School Committee, which cited concerns in her hiring processes, management, and communication with stakeholders, member Rachel Weinstein wrote in her monthly blog.

As part of her departure, the district agreed to pay more than $200,000 in severance pay because the Committee terminated her contract “without good cause.” Greer received a $750,000 settlement in a racial discrimination suit from her time as Sharon Public Schools superintendent from 2017 to 2021.