Salvatore Petralia To Take Over As Assistant Superintendent

Salvatore Petralia has spent the past 33 years in education in a variety of jobs that have included being a middle school special education teacher, a principal and a language teacher.

And on July 1, he'll move from being the director of human resources for the Lawrence Public Schools to take over as the assistant superintendent of the Wellesley Public Schools.

Petralia, who grew up in the Merrimack Valley and graduated from Northeastern University, said he looks forward to "hitting the ground running," as he takes over for Carol Gregory, who is retiring after three years as assistant superintendent in Wellesley and 35 years in public education.

Petralia, who has already spent several days in Wellesley meeting with Gregory to help with his transition, said his position in Lawrence mirrored the human resources responsibilities he'll have in Wellesley. He'll also be responsible for assessments and accountability, he said.

"He brings to us rich experience in human resources," said Wellesley Schools Superintendent Dr. Bella T. Wong, who continued by saying Petralia also brings with him a love of education and a wealth of experience in the classroom.