Wednesday, Saugus Union School District (SUSD) Superintendent Dr. Colleen Hawkins announced that she planned to retire in the summer of 2026.

In a letter sent Wednesday afternoon, Hawkins announced her plan to retire from her position at SUSD, which she has held for the last 8 years, as of July 1, 2026.

“I have had the privilege of being an educator for 33 years. Eight of those years have been as the superintendent for SUSD. My career has been one of service leadership that has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. Like all people with a demanding career, it has also required several sacrifices be made by my family and myself,” Hawkins wrote. 

“The last two years have been filled with personal challenges and heartbreaks that included the loss of my son to cancer. These years have also included several health challenges and the wonderful birth of my first grandchild. All of these things combined have caused me to take stock and determine that it is time to spend the next phase of life with my daughter and her husband, my new granddaughter and my mother.

It has been my sincere pleasure leading SUSD for the past 8 years. Together we have survived some challenging world events and together we have achieved many amazing successes. While my retirement announcement is filled with personal excitement and anticipation of new roles, the future of SUSD is also filled with continued success and great promise. 

The students, staff, parents, and community are amazing and the next superintendent will continue to build new success into the future.

“Thank you to everyone I’ve encountered during my time here. It truly has been a pleasure.”

Hawkin’s announcement comes amid a minor scandal, as it was revealed that a 5-year-old at the Northpark Elementary School after-school care program had somehow managed to escape the campus and travel approximately a mile to the nearest McDonald’s without any adults noticing. 

This is apparently the second such incident to occur at the school site since 2019, according to parents in the district. 

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