Committee seeks training to find a new superintendent

By Janelle Randazza

PEABODY – Massachusetts saw fifty-five school superintendents leave their posts in 2005. With already fifty vacancies to be filled in the state's 328 districts, it’s believed that Massachusetts could see as many as sixty superintendent vacancies, this year.
“It’s extremely competitive out there. There is tremendous demand and short supply. We recognize that, which is why we think we need to be as prepared as possible when looking for a new superintendent,” said David McGeney, School Committee member and chairman of the district’s superintendent search committee.
McGeney and the 11-member team charged with finding a new superintendent for Peabody will be participating in a private superintendent search training on March 2, which will be specifically tailored to their needs by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC).
McGeney, was one of the school committee members to turn down MASC’s comprehensive “Leading School Districts in Transition” (LSDT) training. According to McGeney, while he does hope to participate in the LSDT training in the future, the March 2 training is better suited to Peabody’s immediate needs.
“I had been speaking with Glenn Koocher [from the MASC] about resource information to help me with my committee. The more we began to talk the more I began to think that a training, specifically geared towards our superintendent search, might be beneficial,” said McGeney.
School Committee member Mike Moutsoulas feels that the free, two-hour training will be a necessary primer for the search committee.
“While we may have opinions about what we are looking for in a superintendent, there is a lot left to learn. This will bring us up to speed on legality matters and will make us aware of things we’ve probably never thought of,” said Moutsoulas.
According to Koocher, the training will not only be an orientation for committee members, it will also be a briefing on the committee’s professional and legal obligations.
“Many members of the search committee have not done anything like this before... They are serving on an official board of the community; state ethics law applies to this committee,” said Koocher, who plans to give the committee a comprehensive overview of Massachusetts state policy, law and protocol.
With a school committee marred by a reputation of dissent and the past three full-time superintendents leaving the district amid frustration and controversy, some worry that Peabody’s reputation may precede them, marking the district as one that is difficult to manage.
“There is a great deal of speculation. But Peabody’s situation is not terribly unique in terms of a revolving door. That, however, does not mean we should be satisfied with the revolving door – because I am not. We have this committee because we hope the next superintendent will be here for many years to come,” said McGeney.
According to Koocher, by having the committee and by engaging in MASC’s free trainings, the committee and the district are sending a strong message to potential candidates for superintendent.
“They are definitely making a strong point. It’s a good sign that they are taking this search seriously and that they are moving forward.”