The Southern Berkshire Regional School District is beginning its search for a new superintendent, and is enlisting the help of an outside group to assist in the search. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports….
The Southern Berkshire Regional School District, which includes schools in the Berkshire County towns of Monterey, South Egremont, Sheffield, and New Marlborough, is on the search for a new superintendent. The district’s current superintendent, Michael Singleton, is retiring in August of 2013. To aid in the search, the district has chosen to work with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
Patricia Correira is the search consultant for the MASC that will be working with the district.
To find those qualities, Correira has organized a series of open meetings to gather information from the public, including the first meeting tonight, at the Egremont Fire Department. Corriera said that the information collected from the public will eventually be returned to the school committee for their review.
In addition to tonight, meetings will be held tomorrow with district administration, teachers and parents. On Thursday, Correira will meet with central office staff and town officials. On Tuesday, September 18th, she will hear input from students, and on Tuesday September 25th, a meeting will be held for anybody who may have missed any.
Member of the Southern Berkshire District School Committee Vito Valentini says that the committee is looking to hear from all members of the community.
Valentini says that the school committee is aiming to have a new superintendent chosen by February.
Recently, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees also helped Pittsfield Public Schools appoint Gordon L. Noseworthy as their new superintendent. For Springfield Public Schools, the Association helped appoint Daniel Warwick, and at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton, the MASC helped choose Jeffrey Peterson.
Eventually, after 8 to 10 candidates are chosen out of the pool of applicants by Correira according to the district’s needs and desires, a screening committee comprised of school officials, teachers, and the public will evaluate the candidates. The remaining 3 to 5 finalists will head to the school committee for final review before a new superintendent is chosen.
Correira says that the final candidate has to have the right “fit”.
Scheduled Meetings:
Monday, Sept. 10th
Egremont Fire House, 6-8 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 11th
10:30 a.m. to noon
Sheffield Senior Center, 10:30 am to 12 pm
Thursday, September 18th
Undermountain Elementary School cafeteria, Sheffield, 6 to 8 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 18
Undermountain Elementary School cafeteria, Sheffield, 3 to 4 pm
Tuesday Sept. 25
Undermountain Elementary School cafeteria, Sheffield 4 - 5:15 pm, 6 - 8 pm
http://www.masc.org/superintendent-searches
http://www.sbrsd.org/index.html
