Superintendent interviews kick off in Peabody

PEABODY – Scituate Interim Superintendent and candidate for Peabody?s Superintendent position James Kelleher said he believes the most important skill for a superintendent is to be able to communicate efficiently.?I know how to communicate with people,” Kelleher said. “I?m a quick learner and a quick study.”Kelleher was the first candidate to be interviewed for the position Monday night by the Peabody School Committee. He spent the day touring Peabody and meeting school and community members. There are two others vying for the position.Prior to being the Interim Superintendent for Scituate, he has been the assistant superintendent for Scituate. He has been in that school district for 10 years now.?I have reached a point in my career where I am ready for another challenge,” he said. “I think being a Superintendent is the next step for me.”Kelleher said he believes in good “adult learning” and professional development to get teachers to be the best that they can be. “I think good professional development can really advance a teacher. I really like to focus it on secondary education teachers too. I feel a lot of the times elementary teachers take all the focus and secondary education teachers get ignored,” he said.School committee member Ed Charest asked how he would pay for the professional development.?That is the challenge,” Kelleher responded. “You would need to make it part of your strategic planning to have that in your budget.”Kelleher is also a big proponent for technology. “I think technology can be a tremendous tool in the classroom,” he said. “However, if it is treated too globally it can be distracting to student achievement. You need to have a flexible five-year plan. I could never propose smart boards for all because in five years they might not exist.”School committee member Brandi Carpenter asked if he has had any experience working and dealing with a budget.Kelleher said it was his first year working with a budget – a $30 million budget. Peabody?s budget is $60 million.Kelleher believes it is important to work closely with good communication when it comes to the budget. “I believe that you should give each department head a time to advocate for their vision for their department and what they would like to see,” Kelleher said. “Also, with that work with them and the principals if you need to make cuts and see what cuts they think they can make do with.”Groton-Dunstable Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola will be interviewed Tuesday and Salem Academy headmaster David Fischer will be interviewed Thursday.Sara Brown can be reached at [email protected].