New Marblehead superintendent addresses school committee

MARBLEHEAD – New Superintendent of Schools Gregory Maass lost no time explaining his philosophy of leadership to the School Committee at Monday’s committee retreat.”Tell me more rather than less,” Maass told the committee members. “Tell me sooner rather than later.” And later he added, “Relationships are based on honor and honor is based on truth? If you know something don’t think I know it.”He also said that he would examine current educational programs by asking teachers to explain what they were doing and what it accomplished – and he said his goal is to visit every Marblehead classroom in his first semester on the job. He also called for common agenda and meeting formats and common record-keeping for every subcommittee in the school system, and said he wants to operate the schools openly and build trust throughout the system.He said he will bring his first bad news to the Administrative Council meeting later this month – so far he has received $300,000-$400,000 in additional funding requests that the school budget cannot accommodate.The committee met with Maass and new Interim Business and Financial Assistant Kevin Meagher in the basement boardroom of the National Grand Bank, surrounded by pictures of bank history.Committee member Jonathan Lederman frequently questioned Maass, especially when Maass said he and the committee are there to advocate for the students.”There are a lot of sacred cows and islands of power throughout this district,” Lederman said. “Ultimately you can’t satisfy everyone, you can’t satisfy the needs of all the students”Eventually in the conversational tone of the retreat – as of noon, no one had taken a seat at the head of the board table and committee member Dick Nohelty took time to draw out Kathy Leonardson and make sure her opinions were heard – Lederman, a committee gadfly, had to accept his own share of realism.”Jonathan, you have your hand up at meetings every five minutes,” said committee Chairman EuRim Chun. “If I don’t recognize you, it’s not about not hearing you, it’s about making sure that everyone is heard.”Lederman later told Maass that he did not believe in “consensus,” a term that Maass used in describing discussion. “Greatness does not come out of consensus,” Lederman said.Maass asked how Lederman felt about substituting another word, “collaboration.””Is that mediocrity?” he asked.”No,” Lederman said.”Jonathan,” Maass said, “I don’t care what you say to me as long as it isn’t, ‘I completely disagree with what you said.”