by Jen Oemig
CHELMSFORD – With a new school year getting underway, the Chelmsford School Committee recently praised Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang for his leadership during the 2025-26 academic year.
“I’m very happy to be the Superintendent here,” he said. “I think we have a great school system … and this is going to be a very big year for us.”
Dr. Lang, who just started his 12th year as the superintendent for Chelmsford Public Schools, received a formal evaluation from the School Committee during its meeting on Tuesday, July 28.
Committee members consistently recognized effective leadership, sound fiscal stewardship, strategic planning, and a continued commitment to improving educational opportunities for students.
“The ratings demonstrate broad consensus that his performance meets or exceeds the expectations of the role, with management and operations receiving unanimous exemplary ratings from all five evaluators,” School Committee chair Maria Santos said.
Committee members highlighted Dr. Lang’s leadership of the Parker Middle School project, exemplary financial management, expansion of student opportunities through initiatives such as Early College and Concurrent Enrollment at Chelmsford High School, thoughtful implementation of Artificial Intelligence planning, and strong relationships with town officials and the broader community.
Evaluators also acknowledged continuous improvement in communication and stakeholder engagement.
“All you have to do is look around to some of the other towns around us who are struggling financially, having a hard time keeping all their staffing and maintaining their programs, never mind improving their programs,” said School Committee member Dennis King. “I think a big reason why we don’t have that in Chelmsford is because of Superintendent Lang, Assistant Superintendent (Linda) Hirsch and all the other staff really providing that leadership to keep our ship floating in the right direction.”
Areas identified for continued growth centered primarily on improving outcomes for historically underserved student groups, strengthening culturally responsive practices, increasing transparency around student support processes, expanding multilingual communication and continuing efforts to diversify and support the district workforce.
“There’s definitely areas for growth in our district, as in any district, but I think what we see time and time again is that we have the right person at the helm to help navigate those continued improvements and growth,” said School Committee member Diana Lebeaux.
Those interested in viewing the Superintendent Performance Evaluation rubric may do so on the district website.
