‘Super’ search starts; interviews begin to find Saugus school chief

SAUGUS-The panel has been named and today the School Committee kicks its search for a superintendent into gear.School Committee Chairman Joe Malone said the first round of interviews for candidates would begin Thursday and carry over to Friday.Along with the School Committee, former teacher Gail Hashem, Belmonte Middle School teachers Lloyd Sales and Bill Palmerini, Oaklandvale Principal Kathleen Stanton, High School Principal Joseph Diorio, former School Committee member Ellen Faiella, school activist Theresa Smith and School Building Assessment Chairman Roger Sacilotto have all agreed to serve on the Superintendent Search Committee.School Committee member Frederick Doucette said the Search Committee would help whittle the field, but the School Committee would make the final choice.But the field won’t have to be whittled too much since only six people have applied for the job of school chief.The School Committee initially posted the position last fall, but only received five applications.At the time, Doucette said he was shocked because he knew another North Shore community had received about 30 applications.The committee then decided to post the position a second time, sweetening the deal by listing a minimum salary of $135,000. Salary was not included in the original listing.Still, Malone said he was surprised that the committee only received one additional application.Doucette said he was also nervous that it initially appeared no one was coming forward to serve on the search committee either.”We were not getting a lot of response,” he said.With the committee set, Bill Leuci said he is looking forward to sitting down and hashing things out to find a new superintendent.Committee members will spend this week interviewing and discussing search issues before deciding whom of the six, if any, will be called back for a second round.Manville has said he hoped a decision would be made by March because that would give him plenty of time to work with the incoming superintendent but, unless the committee works fast, that might not happen.