The outgoing superintendent of the Brockton Public Schools will replace Paul Reville as state education secretary, a top Patrick administration aide confirmed today.
Matthew Malone, a registered Republican who also once headed the public schools in Swampscott, will be among the new Cabinet members that Governor Deval Patrick announces during a State House news conference this afternoon, said the aide, who requested anonymity to speak about the appointment before the governor's formal announcement.
Malone became available after he and the Brockton School Committee agreed last month to end their five-year contract a year early.
The deal was struck after the seven-member committee gave Malone a composite review score of 2.77 out of 5 for his third year at the helm of the state's fourth-largest public school system.
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The Globe reported earlier that Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez, Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, Public Safety and Security Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan, and Education Secretary Paul Reville were all leaving the administration amid a staff shake-up as Patrick begins his final two years in office.
The Democratic governor told his top aides after last month's state and national elections that he wanted them to either recommit to their positions for the remainder of his term or agree to depart so he could find a replacement.
Gonzalez will be replaced by Glen Shor, a top deputy before leaving the secretariat in June 2010 to run the state's Health Connector program.
Bigby will be replaced by John Polanowicz, president of St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton, the largest hospital in the Steward Health Care System.
Heffernan will be replaced by Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral. The replacement for Reville could not be confirmed until this morning.
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki, Elder Affairs Secretary Ann L. Hartstein, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Joanne Goldstein, Secretary of Veterans' Services Coleman Nee, and Transportation Secretary Richard Davey are remaining in their posts.
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Patrick will make his formal announcement of the changes during a 1 p.m. news conference.
Globe correspondent Michele Morgan Bolton contributed to this report. Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.