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Michael J. Pfifferling, the assistant superintendent of finance and operations who has guided the district through months of painful budget cuts, is a finalist for the business manager position at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School in Haverhill, according to greater Haverhill's nonprofit radio station, WHAV.
Pfifferling is scheduled to interview before the Whittier Tech School Committee during a special session Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the school, 115 Amesbury Line Road. He is one of two finalists for the job, competing against Angus Jennings, West Newbury’s town manager, WHAV reports.
His candidacy comes as Marblehead Public Schools faces a fiscal crisis that has consumed much of Pfifferling’s work over the past several months. As recently as last week, he presented an additional $1.5 million in proposed reductions to the school committee on top of $2.6 million already cut or reallocated from the fiscal 2027 budget. In January, he told the budget subcommittee the district faced a $1.7 million gap between its fiscal 2026 appropriation of $49.1 million and the $53.2 million needed to maintain current services.
Pfifferling has been Marblehead’s top finance official since July 2024, when he left a similar role in the Haverhill Public Schools. The Whittier Tech position was posted Jan. 23 on SchoolSpring, an education job board. The listing describes a 12-month, full-time role paying $165,000 to $180,000 — below Pfifferling’s current Marblehead salary — with hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. It requires at minimum a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or business administration, licensure or eligibility for licensure from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a school business administrator and five years of experience. Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official licensure is preferred, as is familiarity with regional school districts and experience with Massachusetts School Building Authority building projects.
WHAV reports the job opened after Kara Kosmes, who has served as business manager for 13 years and previously spent 16 years as assistant superintendent for finance and operations in the Haverhill Public Schools, announced her retirement effective in August.
Before Haverhill, where he served about five years after being hired in 2019, Pfifferling spent six and a half years as business manager in Wakefield, according to WHAV. There, he oversaw construction of a middle school and helped open an early childhood center and a transition academy for older special education students. He is a 1989 Haverhill High School graduate and Groveland resident who holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Worcester State University, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Whittier Tech’s School Committee recently approved spending $2.5 million from its capital projects fund for a feasibility study to evaluate renovating or replacing the aging building, a step required by the Massachusetts School Building Authority to qualify for partial reimbursement, WHAV reports.
It is unclear what effect, if any, Pfifferling’s candidacy would have on Marblehead’s ongoing budget process should he be offered and accept the position.
This is a developing news story.
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