Thomas William

1940 - 2021

Thomas William Payzant

November 29, 1940 - July 23, 2021

Thomas William Payzant, of Salt Lake City, previously of Boston, passed away peacefully on July 23, 2021. He was 80 years old.

Born on November 29, 1940 in Boston, Tom grew up in Wollaston, MA. Dr. Payzant attended Williams College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in American history and literature. He moved back to Boston, to receive a master's in teaching, then a doctorate in education from Harvard in 1968.

In 1969, Dr. Payzant was tapped for his first district leadership position as Superintendent in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. He was just 28. This was followed by superintendent positions in Eugene, OR; Oklahoma City, OK and San Diego, CA. In San Diego, he tested the tenets of longevity as a tactic in school leadership, staying there from 1982 until 1993.

In 1993, Dr. Payzant accepted an appointment from President Clinton as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. In 1995, he left Washington, DC to return back home to Boston as its superintendent – his dream job. He served as the Superintendent of Boston Schools for 11 years, leading a number of significant reform efforts that helped narrow the achievement gap and increase student performance on both state and national assessment exams.

After his retirement from Boston Public Schools he was named a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Payzant's served on numerous board and his work received recognition at the regional and national level. In 1998, he was Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year; in 2004, he received the Council on Great City Schools' The Award for Excellence in Urban Education. Governing Magazine named Dr. Payzant one of eight "Public Officials of the Year" in 2005. Dr. Payzant also received the McGraw Prize for his leadership of the San Diego school system.

Thomas Payzant is survived by his wife of 59 years Ellen Watson Payzant, his children Scott, Gigi, and Kristin, his son-in-law Kenny, and five grandchildren, Emily, TJ, Kai, Bryson and Kenyon as well as one great grandchild Kinsley.

Friends are invited to greet the family during an open house to honor Tom's life at the Payzant home located at 9564 South Raintree Drive, Sandy on Saturday, July 31st from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Online condolences may be offered at www.larkincares.com -