Sudbury School Committee Member Left Due To Possible Job Change

SUDBURY, MA — After initially declining to talk about the move, a Sudbury School Committee member who resigned last month has opened up about why he left the post a little over one year into his first three-year term

Former committee member Tyler Steffey initially declined to talk about why he stepped down — as did Sudbury School Committee Chair Silvia Nerssessian — last week. In a letter to Patch Tuesday, Steffey implied he's trying to move from being an assistant principal in Concord Public Schools to becoming a full principal, and didn't feel he'd have enough time to also serve in Sudbury.

After Steffey's resignation, Sudbury Patch submitted public records requests seeking communications between school officials about Steffey's decision. The request was made after Sudbury Town Clerk Beth Klein did not respond to a request for a copy of Steffey's resignation letter.

Steffey was elected in April 2021 to a three-year term, defeating Mandy Sim by 43 votes to pick up an open seat left by Lisa Kouchakdjian.

Sudbury is in the process of picking Steffey's replacement. Applications for the interim school committee seat were due Tuesday, and the select board and school committee will likely meet in joint session on Aug. 15 to interview candidates. The interim member will serve until the next town election in spring 2023.

Here's the full letter Steffey sent to Patch this week:

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of my resignation from the Sudbury School Committee. This was a difficult decision. You put a great deal of trust in me on Election Day, and I will be forever humbled by your vote of confidence. The members of school committee were welcoming, care deeply about their work and put our children and our community at the forefront of each decision. For me, too, this work has always been about children and their school communities.

As many of you know, I am a public school assistant principal. Recently, several communities have announced open principal positions; a principal role would be an increased responsibility, and thus would allow me to have a more significant and direct positive impact for students, staff, and families. In order to prepare for this deeper time commitment, I would have to vacate my seat on the school committee. This is why I resigned.

I have great confidence in and utmost respect for our School Committee and in Superintendent Crozier, and I am excited to witness how they continue to lead. I am grateful to those school administrators who have stepped into new roles in Sudbury Public Schools this summer and will bring their expertise and dedication to our students this fall. I am particularly inspired by the work that lies ahead pertaining to the Equity Audit. For now, I want to thank you, the Sudbury voters, for your support. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to speak further: (617) 875- 1961or [email protected].

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Steffey had already gotten a new job as a principal.