Anthony Pope was approved by the School Committee for the Assistant Superintendent for Equity, Belonging and Community Engagement role.
Patch Staff
FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Framingham School Committee approved Superintendent Robert Tremblay's recommendation for a new assistant superintendent during a Wednesday meeting.
Anthony Pope was approved for the Assistant Superintendent for Equity, Belonging and Community Engagement. He replaces Tiffany Lillie, who took a job in Worcester in the fall of 2023.
The position comes with a slight name change, as district officials explained they belive it "better aligns with our commitment to creating a sense of belonging for the FPS Community."
Tremblay said at the meeting that three candidates were interviewed for the position, "all of whom were excellent."
"Any of the three candidates, in my view, would be a great fit for Framingham," Tremblay said. "We thought that Dr. Pope, though ... would be the best fit for us from his lived experience."
Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The decision was unanimous among the members of the district's leadership team, each of whom independently believed Pope would be the best fit, Tremblay said.
Tremblay recommended Pope after a long career in education, which began as a middle school teacher and high school principal. Pope was a superintendent with Marlborough Public Schools and an instructional superintendent with Boston Public Schools.
"Dr. Pope's passion for supporting urban education and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion make him a visionary leader with a collaborative and inclusive style of leadership," Tremblay said.
But Pope's time in education hasn't been without turbulence, particularly during his two years in Marlborough.
Pope suspended and later fired an assistant high school principal, a move that drew criticism at the time from both educators and students.
Police also investigated an incident in which a guidance counselor alleged that he pushed her in the back, but declined to press charges. That guidance counselor later filed a district court complaint, but it was determined that the threshold for assault and battery wasn't reached.
Still, Pope resigned toward the end of that year, and the assistant principal he fired was quickly reinstated.
Tremblay explained at the meeting that some members of the community who were in the know about the decision had reservations, and Pope was on hand to explain his experience.
"I was very energetic, it was my first superintendency," Pope said. "The number one thing that stood with my leadership was my integrity."
Pope explained — and Tremblay agreed — that there's only so much officials can share when it comes to human resource issues.
"The only thing the community knew at the time was that someone who was very popular was dismissed," Pope said of his decision in Marlborough. "And I became a target."
Pope said he didn't focus much on what he called "character assassination", but rather tried to take from the experience what he could learn.
"You can't walk away from a situation like that not taking some responsibility," Pope said.
He said he stands firm on the decision to dismiss the assistant principal because he was "protecting a child".
Pope said he does know, however, that he made some "political missteps" and could have better understood the context surrounding the decision.
Moving forward, Pope noted that concerns about what happened in Marlborough haven't resurfaced in his career during the decade since.
He also shared excitement about doing the best he can to make Framingham's diverse community feel welcome — a sense of belonging — with the district's school walls.
During a vote at the meeting, he was unanimously approved by the School Committee.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
508-626-8300
Service Areas
