Blackstone-Millville committee moves to hire Moren Penenda as interim superintendent, authorizes counsel to begin negotiations

The Blackstone-Millville School Committee voted June 24 to offer the interim superintendent post to Moren Penenda, pending contract negotiations, and authorized the district attorney to begin negotiating terms aimed at an appointment from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

Committee members reported checking references for multiple candidates and said Penenda emerged as the leading choice. "She has extensive experience," one member said during the meeting, and several members named Penenda as their top candidate in a round-robin discussion before the motion to proceed to negotiations.

Tracy, who advised the committee on hiring procedure, told members that Massachusetts requires only that superintendent hires occur at a properly posted meeting and that the person be legally able to serve; she said those conditions had been met. "As long as you post the meeting properly and hire someone who can legally serve as superintendent, you have satisfied the Commonwealth's basic requirements," Tracy said.

Members discussed timing and a short licensing waiver Penenda likely would need later in the year. The committee was told Penenda will finish a current role with her collaborative on July 7 and will be away for two weeks, meaning she may not be physically in the district until the end of July. The committee recorded on the record that Penenda does not need a waiver now but would likely need one for November–December under the state’s waiver timing rules.

A motion to offer the interim position to Penenda pending negotiations was placed on the floor and taken up; members voted in favor with one member announcing an abstention. The committee then voted to authorize its attorney, Kelly, to begin contract negotiations and to prepare the appointment for the July 1–June 30 timeframe; that authorization passed in a roll-call vote recorded as unanimous among members present.

Tracy said she would contact Penenda that night to notify her of the committee's action and to coordinate initial conversations with counsel. The committee agreed to post an executive session for Monday (June 29) to set contract parameters if needed and to have counsel return with proposed terms.

The committee thanked members who conducted reference checks and staff who supported the process. The meeting concluded after procedural roll-call votes and scheduling follow-up steps.

Next steps: Tracy will contact Penenda to confirm her willingness to proceed; counsel will begin negotiations and report back to the committee, which has signaled intent to formalize an interim appointment with a start date of July 1, 2026.