Grassa O'Neill of Milton withdraws as Boston superintendent candidate

Grassa O'Neill of Milton withdraws as Boston superintendent candidate - The Boston Globe

Mary Grassa O'Neill , former superintendent of Milton schools, has become the third candidate to drop off the short list to become the new chief of Boston Public Schools.

The pullout plunges the hunt for a new superintendent, which is already behind schedule, into uncertainty. The two contenders still in the running to succeed Thomas W. Payzant are high-ranking school system officials but have never served as superintendents.

Still in the running are Nancy J. McGinley , chief academic officer for Charleston County schools in South Carolina, and Deborah Sims , chief of K-12 operations in San Francisco.