Chelmsford Principal Not Selected as Wilmington Superintendent

The Wilmington School Committee named the district's next Superintendent of Schools during a Thursday meeting, but it won't come at the expense of Chelmsford Public Schools.

By a unanimous vote of 5-0 with two board members abstaining because their children work in the school district, Reading Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration Mary DeLai was named the next Wilmington superintendent, according to updates provided by Wilmington Apple.

Harrington Elementary School principal Michael LaCava was one of three finalists for the position.

Though Wilmington School Committee members said they were impressed with LaCava and would like to have him in their district in another role, they ultimately felt he did not have the experience required for the position.

While DeLai did accept the position via telephone, the agreement is pending successful contract negotiations.

DeLai received a Bachelor of Arts from from St. Michael’s College and a Master’s of Education from Duke University, where she had a focus on Environmental Management of Resource Economics. 

Prior to being named Wilmington superintendent, DeLai worked in a variety of roles for Reading Public Schools, including holding the director of finance and operations position.

Joanne Benton, who is retiring as Wilmington superintendent this year, took to Twitter just after 10 p.m. to offer her congratulations to DeLai.

"Congratulations to Mary DeLai, Wilmington 's next superintendent," Benton tweeted. "Wilmington is very lucky to have her!"