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, SC 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 MASC to conduct a transitional superintendent search?
The executive director of the MA Association of School Committees (MASC) issued a strongly-worded memo to the committee on Feb. 15 recommending that the committee table its permanent search and instead hire a “transitional team” (with a 1- to 2-year superintendent). MASC submitted a proposal to assist the committee 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 committee handle, and will the committee heed MASC’s guidance about the search process?
2) Why has the committee chosen to eliminate using a screening committee for the initial phase of the superintendent search?
The committee’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 committee members, can maintain confidentiality for applicants and provide an opportunity for candid discussion about candidates. The committee’s nod to “transparency” by holding this initial phase in open session endangers the process if qualified candidates do not apply.
3) If the committee 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
Marblehead School Committee, 2004 to 2010 (three years as chair)
David Harris
Marblehead School Committee, 2015 to 2022
Marblehead Finance Committee, 2000 to 2012 (four years as chair)