MARBLEHEAD — The School Committee interviewed two candidates for the interim superintendent of schools position Monday inside of the Marblehead High School Library.
The two candidates, Dr. Theresa McGuinness and Dr. Jannell Pearson-Campbell, were announced as finalists for the position in a press release last week after multiple Screening Committee meetings took place, in which committee members reviewed 11 applicants in total.
Each candidate was asked two questions by each committee member for a total of 10 questions.
Either McGuinness or Pearson-Campbell will be replacing Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta. Shortly before Dr. John Buckey resigned as superintendent in August, Cresta was named superintendent designee. She was then named acting superintendent after his resignation, though Cresta did not express interest in permanently moving into the role.
During her interview, Pearson-Campbell focused on making sure students and community members have a say and are aware of the decisions being made in the district, as well as budget documentation and transparency when asked by Committee member Meagan Taylor about what issues the district is currently facing and how they should be addressed.
“Number one is to ensure that all students are at the center of every decision you are making,” Pearson-Campbell said. “And number two is making sure the community has a role in that conversation so that they feel that they are being a part of this.”
Pearson-Campbell has more than a decade of experience as a teacher and assistant director of special education in multiple districts including Boston, Framingham, and Waltham.
Committee member Brian Ota asked her about the emotional effects that the pandemic has had, particularly on special-education students, and how Marblehead schools and students can recover.
She said her three focuses for special education are making sure special-education students are supported in the classroom, working with students to improve and support their individualized education programs, and working with parents.
Her most recent position was as the interim superintendent of Northampton Public Schools, a role she held from 2022 to June 30.
Pearson-Campbell said that she entered that position with a budget deficit in the district, and immediately got to work on creating a budget and fixing that deficit.
She said that she views the budget as a “five-year window” when creating it, and gave her perspective on how to present a budget that can result in a successful override.
“That budget is very important because when I look at the documentation on how an override didn’t pass, you really have to think about how you create a budget that is feasible, that supports all students, but also that we market ourselves as saying we are still moving ahead in spite of what goes on,” Pearson-Campbell said.
McGuinness is a Swampscott resident and has ties to Marblehead Public Schools.
From 2012 to 2016, she served as the principal of Village School and was one of the finalists for the superintendent position in 2020 before Buckey ultimately landed the job. She currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Watertown Public Schools.
McGuinness has also held a wide range of positions across multiple districts, from serving as a guidance counselor at Nashua High School North in New Hampshire to serving as principal of Doherty Middle School in Andover.
When asked about engaging the community while facilitating budget requests, McGuinness mentioned having conversations with the assistant superintendent of finances and operations, as well as town leaders, to “get perspective” on the financial situation and needs of the town and schools.
“At all times, the assumptions for the budget would be around ensuring core, constructional, quality education is occurring,” McGuinness said. “That means not only the core subjects that are often thought of, but the opportunity for students to develop their passions and interests.”
Like Pearson-Campbell, McGuinness focused on building trust between the community, staff, and school leaders when asked by Taylor about the issues the district currently faces.
“The biggest thing is building the relationship with a school committee and an interim superintendent, so that trickles down to our principals and to our teachers and to our staff,” McGuinness said. “It also helps to alleviate the fear of uncertainty.”
Once the committee decides between the two candidates, it will then go into another long-term screening process to find a permanent superintendent.
School Committee Chair Sarah Fox said at the end of the meeting that there could potentially be a vote on the interim position as soon as this Thursday’s scheduled School Committee meeting.
