NAHANT— The School Committee conducted its second interview of Superintendent candidate Robert Liebow at its meeting Tuesday night.
Liebow, along with Dr. Robert Gerardi, is a finalist to succeed current Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi, who is retiring on July 1.
Liebow graduated from the University of San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in biology. His career in education began in Maine, where he eventually served as principal and Superintendent of the Mount Desert Island Regional School System.
Prior to the interview, Liebow spent the day in the district learning about the Johnson School community. School Committee Chair Patricia Karras began the interview by asking him why he was interested in the position. He attributed it to perceived similarities Nahant has with Rockport, where Liebow served as superintendent for a decade.
“I’m excited about the prospect of Nahant because it’s so much in resemblance to what I’m about and what I believe in,” Liebow said. “That was confirmed today by seeing the kids, seeing the teachers, talking with the custodians.”
Liebow emphasized that a main priority of his is to make decisions in the best interest of the students, and he said he feels the district already reflects that. He expressed his desire to have a close working relationship with Johnson School Kevin Andrews, however he said he does not want to detract from Andrew’s primary authority with school ongoings.
“I like to get into classrooms,” Liebow said. “Just to see teachers doing good work and seeing kids. I wouldn’t want Mr. Andrews to feel that that was taking something away from him… they should be working with the principal, and I don’t want to create an environment where they would skip over Kevin and come to me.”
Liebow revealed he has a working history with Swampscott Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis. He suggested it could be advantageous, as Swampscott Public Schools serve as the primary education option for Nahant students beyond elementary school.
“When I was in Rockport, she (Angelakis) was part of the Northeast Special Ed Consortium Board,” Liebow said. “I think I have a pretty good working relationship with her.”
Committee member Beth Anderson asked Liebow for an example in which he had to resolve a conflict between two parties. Liebow recounted an example of when a high school teacher and student got into a verbal altercation where he felt both were at fault.
“He said the worst thing you can say to her, so she sent him out,” Liebow said. “He says, ‘I know I’m wrong, I know I’m in trouble… but what are you going to do to her?’”
Liebow said that the teacher had called the student “stupid,” which ultimately incited the incident. Liebow said he worked to make both parties understand that they were accountable and then give them the appropriate discipline.
Anderson asked what Liebow would do if the school staff disagreed with a decision by his administration, and he said he intends to have a full discussion with his staff before any decision that involves them would be made. However, he suggested that he would not tolerate long-term insubordination.
“In some cases, maybe they have to move on if they are not working for the common goal and the common good that you’ve listened to all the feedback on it, and maybe it’s not the right match for them,” Liebow said. “I think it’s rare that that would happen if you’re doing the right groundwork before then.”
Once Gerardi’s interview is completed, Karras expects the School Committee to make a final decision quickly.
