To the editor:
We sent a letter to the School Committee on Thursday, March 7, including questions about the superintendent search we hoped would be addressed during that evening’s meeting. Rather than giving any pertinent answers, the School Committee chair instead focused on how we submitted the questions. The community deserves better. As elected officials, School Committee members should be answering thoughtful questions from the public, whether or not they like the questions or the way in which they are posed.
Having both been involved in prior superintendent searches, our questions to the School Committee on Thursday, March 7, were as follows:
1) What is the status and scope of work with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to conduct a transitional superintendent search?
The executive director of the MASC issued a strongly worded memo to the SC on Feb. 15 recommending that the SC table its permanent search and instead hire a “transitional team” (with a one-to-two-year superintendent). MASC submitted a proposal to assist the SC with this search at no cost, and there has been some interaction between the parties since, but what is MASC’s specific scope of work, which pieces will the SC handle, and will the SC heed MASC’s guidance about the search process?
2) Why has the SC chosen to eliminate using a screening committee for the initial phase of the superintendent search?
The SC’s current plan calls for superintendent candidates to apply and be evaluated in public. Make no mistake: The search for a transitional superintendent benefits from a screening committee. Only a screening committee, composed of community members and up to two SC members, can maintain confidentiality for applicants and provide an opportunity for candid discussion about candidates. The SC’s nod to “transparency” by holding this initial phase in open session endangers the process if qualified candidates do not apply.
3) If the SC values community input, how and when will it commit to engaging constituency groups (school administrators, staff, parents/PTOs, community, SEPAC, METCO) in the superintendent search process?
Focus groups and surveys soliciting community input are basic first steps and results should be made publicly available to help reestablish trust with the community. Ideally, a diverse screening committee would then use these tools to evaluate candidates. As the process moves along, communications like those issued by the Weston School Committee would help the Marblehead community stay informed.
Amy Drinker, a Gregory Street resident, served on the School Committee from 2004-10, including three years as chair.
David Harris, a Waldron Street resident, served on the School Committee from 2000 to 2012, including four years as chair and from 2015 to 2022.
