by John Osborn ·
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The School Committee will not renew its search for a permanent school superintendent until it has given full consideration to the application of Hildreth Elementary School principal Dr. Linda Dwight.
The decision was made at the regular Monday, June 17, meeting of the committee in Town Hall. All five voting members were present, as well as Devens representative Maureen Babcock, acting School Superintendent Joe Connelly, and Finance Director Lorraine Leonard. Dwight and Bromfield principal Jim O'Shea had left the meeting earlier following a presentation of changes to their respective school handbooks.
Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger said she had been contacted "more than 50 times" by residents, with a clear majority in favor of considering Dwight's candidacy immediately. But "there was concern about how we do it," she said. The remaining members reported similar results and after a roundtable that lasted no more than 20 minutes, Redinger said she was hearing "a consensus to favor Linda." There were no objections.
Discussion then turned to the process the committee should use to determine Dwight's fitness for the position. "We need to do what we did with our finalists," Redinger declared, but she was in favor of moving quickly and reaching a decision before the start of the school year in September. "Things happen" when you wait too long, she said.
The committee agreed there was need for a "fast track" evaluation and settled on a "hybrid" approach in which the job opening will first be posted internally—a step the committee has not previously taken—and Dwight will be asked to formally apply for the position, submitting an application, résumé, and letters of recommendation as any other candidate would be required to do. At the urging of member Keith Cheveralls with support from Connelly, the committee will then assemble its own panel of experts to evaluate Dwight's application, drawn perhaps from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents or the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
Should their recommendation be favorable, Dwight would then be asked to take part in open forums with teachers and members of the community, before appearing before the School Committee for a final interview. The goal, the committee agreed, was to have a decision by the first week of September, leaving time to begin a full search should one be required.
No votes were taken at Monday's meeting, but no objections were voiced when Redinger summarized the committee's recommendations. Afterwards, members praised Redinger for her handling of the meeting. "We did a really good job," said member Kirsten Wright.
The meeting was not broadcast or recorded, however, because a power surge caused by an earlier storm had reportedly disabled the equipment. There was no one from the cable committee present to fix the problem.