MEDFORD — It is not easy replacing an icon and it’s been a series of “firsts” in wading through the process of choosing a new Superintendent of Schools to fill the shoes of Roy Belson, who’s leaving after 23 years.
Mayor Stephanie M. Burke notched a “first” when she named the members of the first Superintendent Search Committee.
For the first time in city history Medford is opening its doors to outside applicants for the position that opens at the end of this school year. Only two people have led the Medford Public Schools as superintendent in nearly the past 50 years and both, Belson and his predecessor, the late Raymond Murano, were elevated from within the school administrative ranks.
The first meeting of the newly-formed Superintendent Search Committee was Wednesday night when the committee met with Glenn Koocher from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, (MASC) who gave an orientation session to introduce the members to the search process.
More than 70 Medford residents, school and city officials applied to serve on the search committee and Burke and her staff whittled that number to 14 members.
Burke, who chairs the School Committee, will also serve in that role for the Superintendent Search Committee. School Committee members Paulette van der Kloot and Paul Ruseau will also serve on the committee as will Medford Director of Diversity Neil Osborne.
Burke said she wanted to be very inclusive in selecting the committee and make certain that many voices were heard from around the community. “My goal was to produce a diverse committee made up of teachers, parents, administrators and community leaders,” she said in a statement.
Representing the Medford Public Schools administration will be McGlynn Middle School assistant principal Jody Liu. Three teachers will serve on the committee, including Joseph Plati, Columbus School, Sarah Grant, Andrews School and Douglas Bowen-Flynn, Medford High School.
Parents on the committee include Joanne Bell, Medford High School; Jenny Graham, Brooks School; Alexis Rodriguez, Roberts School, Jane Wright, Medford Vocational Technical High School, and Melanie McLaughlin, Medford High School.
Burke anticipates being able to publicly interview candidates by the week of March 27.
“We have set forth an ambitious agenda with the goal of selecting a new superintendent by early April,” she said in a statement. “By working together we will be able to select a superintendent who will continue to move the Medford Public Schools forward.”
The Superintendent Search Committee focus group meetings will be Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at Medford High School. The first night will be committee members only, the second night all are welcome.
Potential interview questions from the Search Committee will be due to the mayor by Feb. 25. Interested candidates for the position must file their applications with the Search Committee by Feb. 28.
— The Committee will meet on March 6 to select who they would like to interview and finalize the questions they will ask each of the candidates.
— Preliminary interviews of candidates will be conducted from March 10-March 20 in executive session. The expectation is to recommend finalists to the full School Committee, who will then conduct public interviews, by March 21. Interviews will likely begin around March 27.
