7-0 Vote Backs 2 Candidates For New School Superintendent

Arlington MA

05 November, 2020

3:20 PM

Description

From Your Arlington: Last Updated: 05 November 2020 Written by Judith Pfeffer The new Arlington Public Schools' superintendent could be nominated before Thanksgiving for a position that would begin next July 1. The vote of the School Committee was unanimous. The School Committee voted, 7-0, in a brief meeting held Wednesday, Nov. 4, to accept the candidacy of two Massachusetts-based female finalists recommended late last month by the ad hoc search committee. The person chosen would succeed the current superintendent, Dr. Kathleen Bodie, who announced in June 2019 her decision to retire in June 2021 and is now in the second year of her two-year contract. The School Committee tentatively scheduled candidate interviews, expected to last at least two hours each, for meetings on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, and also tentatively set a meeting for Nov. 24, two days before Thanksgiving. The School Committee also tentatively set Nov. 16, 17 and 18 to solicit feedback from Arlington Public School teachers and from the Arlington community at large. "I'm not sure that on the 24th we'll be making a decision to hire somebody," said School Committee Chair Jane Morgan. All dates currently are tentative pending the availability of the two candidates: Dr. Victoria Greer, superintendent, Sharon Public Schools, and Dr. Elizabeth Homan, assistant superintendent, Waltham Public Schools. Their brief professional biographies and redacted versions of their applications can be viewed on this website, www.arlingtonsuper.com. 9 semifinalists Three, four or five finalists from the ad hoc committee had been expected. However, the ad hoc committee met many times, and these – chosen from nine semifinalists and 20 applicants total – were unanimously voted as "the two best candidates for the position," said ad hoc committee chair Paul Schlichtman. He called both "highly enthused about Arlington" and said that "the community will be fortunate to have either one." Member Jeff Thielman asked why there were not more finalists. Schlichtman replied that there was "a clear division in terms of the point scoring" from "the second tier." Ad hoc committee member Len Kardon said that he and the others reached "a clear consensus" and that it "would be a little artificial to find a third person." The committee briefly discussed, based on a comment from Thielman on "getting a feel for the person," whether it would be possible to also interact with each candidate briefly in a social setting, in person, with less than a quorum present and therefore not in public. Kardon mentioned consulting legal counsel about the permissibility of this. Member Bill Hayner noted that this also would depend partly on whether either or both candidates would feel comfortable doing so given the continuing coronavirus pandemic. "I would caution against trying to do an end run around the open-meetings laws," Schlichtman said. Earlier in the evening he had spoken out against any in-person meetings, saying that this was "not in the range of possibilities" for health-and-safety reasons. No consensus or decision was reached. The next School Committee meeting is set for the evening of Thursday, Nov. 12. The screening committee voted unanimously to advance two candidates as finalists. Greer's background Dr. Greer brings a background in special education, curriculum and instruction to her roles in a progressively more responsible path to the superintendency. She arrived in Massachusetts after a lengthy career as a teacher, coordinator and director of instruction for the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, following which she was recruited to serve as Assistant Superintendent in Cambridge. There, she was recognized for her achievements in strengthening parent and family engagement, improving the integration of students in special education, expanding minority student opportunities in advanced placement coursework, and expanded summer learning. Strongly encouraged to pursue the superintendency by Cambridge Superintendent Jeff Young, she was hired as the leader of the Sharon Public Schools in 2017, where she remained until this year. In Sharon, she worked successfully with the town manager, Finance Committee and parents. Her work earned the strong support of Karla Baehr, former deputy commissioner of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the two School Committee chairs, with whom she collaborated in Sharon during most of her work. Dr. Greer earned her undergraduate and graduate credentials at Tennessee State University and a doctorate from Capella University. She lives in Cambridge. Homan's background Dr. Elizabeth Homan is in her third year as assistant superintendent of the Waltham Public Schools, having been the administrator for EdTech Integration for three years before 2018. An Illinois native, she began her career as a middle and high school English language arts teacher and high school speech team coach in Indiana before moving to the University of Michigan, where she received a Ph.D. in English and education. Her first post in Massachusetts was as a digital learning specialist in the Boston Public Schools. She was recruited to Waltham by former superintendent Drew Echelson and now oversees curriculum and instruction for the school district. She has focused on designing and leading professional learning, data-informed leadership, antiracist strategies and collaboration with parents and teachers. She designed the equity, racial and cultural bias, and culturally responsive curriculum for the district. Among her primary achievements was the work to align curriculum and establish professional development to narrow the achievement gap through collaboration and improve outcomes for all students. She was actively involved in leading the district efforts to address Covid and to incorporate student wellness and academic progress during this challenging time. She lives in Newton. Bodie background In June 2019, the School Committee voted, 4-3, to renew Superintendent Bodie's contract for two years. She agreed to retire in June 2021, spurring a search for a new superintendent. From July 1, 2019, to 2020, Bodie will receive $202,962 and from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, $207,021.24. Bodie served as interim superintendent from August 2008 until March 2010, when the School Committee declined to choose three candidates for the full-time position and Bodie withdrew her candidacy in Swampscott and took the job. YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.