Former Massachusetts education commissioner takes the helm at Wallingford-Swarthmore
Russell Johnston said he's prioritizing communication with families and making decisions "in service of the classroom."
The first week of school is full of new things: backpacks, sneakers, classmates, and books.
For the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, the back-to-school newness has extended to its top leadership, as Russell Johnston, a longtime educator and former Massachusetts education commissioner, takes the helm of the 3,700-student Delaware County district.
Johnston said he aims to be accessible to families as he guides the district through curriculum updates, a new cell phone policy, and a capital plan that lays the groundwork for major infrastructure improvements.
He was most recently the acting commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where he spent over a decade in a variety of roles. Prior to working for the state, he was an administrator and special-education teacher in school districts throughout Massachusetts.
While this is a new chapter for Johnston, it’s also a fresh start for Wallingford-Swarthmore. Johnston replaced interim Superintendent Jim Scanlon, who stepped in after the district parted ways with former Superintendent Wagner Marseille last August following concerns over his spending decisions and alleged strong-arm management style.
Johnston, who was hired on a five-year contract of $260,000 per year, said he was drawn to Wallingford-Swarthmore because of the district’s “collective focus on providing a quality education for all students” and desire for a visible, accessible top administrator.
“I thought, ‘That’s the type of leader who I like to be,’” he said.
As the school year kicks off, Johnston is focused on the district’s adjustment to a new electronic devices policy and English language arts curriculum.
Wallingford-Swarthmore updated its electronic devices policy in the spring after parents raised concerns about screen time, mental health, and student outcomes. Under the new policy, phones must be turned off and stored away at all times in the elementary and middle schools. At the high school, phones will be banned in the classroom, but allowed during lunch and passing times.
Johnston said that while Wallingford-Swarthmore was passing its cell phone policy, he was simultaneously working on a model that helped Massachusetts school districts facilitate their own conversations about phones. There was an “amazing synergy” between the two approaches, he said.
“It’s not about what we’re taking away,” Johnston added. “It’s really about what we’re giving to students. It’s really giving them, frankly, the experiences of childhood that we want for our children to grow up with.”
The district is rolling out new English language arts materials in the form of the Great Minds Arts and Letters curriculum. Johnston said the Great Minds program “offers a depth of quality of literature” while still being accessible to younger students.
The school board also recently passed a long-range capital plan, which will lay the groundwork for improvements to many of the district’s buildings.
Johnston plans to hold regular coffee hours, host community meetings, and launch a newsletter. To Johnston, accessibility means communicating with parents and showing up at events, whether they are football games or public meetings.
“We should know each other. We should be able to talk to each other by name. We should be able to express our concerns, but also celebrate our joys and successes together,” he said.
When he’s not on the job, Johnston runs, swims, bikes, and gardens.
On why he relocated to the Philly area, Johnston said it was a combination of wanting to be closer to family and falling in love with the Wallingford-Swarthmore schools.
“It’s just been a great match of personal and professional coming together to be here.”