Public Weighs In at Superintendent Search Forum

Melrose is looking for a school superintendent with a high level of education who will hold the district and staff accountable, using bold and innovative strategies to tackle the school system's academic and curriculum challenges.

Those were just a few of of the qualities and skills voiced by Melrose residents at a forum held last Tuesday—the second public forum on the superintendent search and first since the Superintendent Search Committee formed.

Margaret Driscoll, Melrose School Committee and Superintendent Search Committee member, opened the forum by saying results of an online survey mirrored the .

The first question on the survey and in the last forum asked for five current or future issues the new superintendent needs to address, and the answers were: curriculum development and instruction; educational leadership skills; academic standards and student assessment; communication with parents and the community; and staff evaluation.

The second question asked for five skills and abilities that were most important for the new superintendent to possess, and the answers were: Success in improving and maintaining high academic performance; understanding and recognizing good teaching; experience in curriculum development; excellent communication skills; and knowledge to shore up and develop long range district goals.

Curriculum concerns were expressed off the bat by those in attendance at last Tuesday's forum. Parent Andrea Fountain said that all five of the issues listed by Driscoll were important, before focusing in on curriculum development, an area particularly in focus since NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) in part due to concerns about lack of a curriculum alignment plan.

Academic Challenges Highlighted

"As far as curriculum development, I think we need to focus on measurable accountability, not necessarily some lump process, but have something in place to measure what the superintendent is doing and how it’s impacting our children," Fountain said.

Others in attendance also spoke about curriculum development and accountability, while using innovative strategies—which include incorporating technology—in a cash-strapped environment to improve education in the city's schools.

Several in attendance also spoke of the desire to have a superintendent who has a doctorate, such as a parent named Jen who added that the superintendent should be "very bold" in making specific recommendations for improvement, while accounting for constraints in the system.

"There's a tremendous lot of philosophy and theory out there," she said. "What I’d be looking for is someone who takes that great stuff and knows how to bring it to prioritize here, and move through a process of improvement over a period of time. Someone who can map out a strategy and talk about how they’re going to handle the barriers they’re going to hit."

Advocate, Delegate and Manage Nuts and Bolts

Gerry Mroz, a frequent speaker at School Committee meetings, echoed the need to find a superintendent who's "really focused on education," acknowledging that there are political and operational components to the job as well, but the superintendent must understand the weight of the academic issues facing the district. Mroz also cautioned against a generalist superintendent that's "putting out every little brush fire," advocating for an administrative team working for the superintendent that would allow him or her to delegate tasks and authority.

The superintendent should also be a strong advocate for the district according to Ted Kenney, another parent and regular attendee of School Committee meetings—someone who is "not afraid to rock the boat" when it comes to addressing academic challenges in the district.

"It’s important that the superintendent is a person that's willing to challenge the School Committee, willing to challenge the mayor," Kenney said. "Sometimes we throw money at things and it doesn’t always solve the problem."

Campbell Kaynor, husband of School Committee and Superintendent Search Committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis, spoke of the need for the superintendent to be organizationally efficient when it comes to the day-to-day operations of Melrose schools, whether handling busing schedules or answering phone calls and emails.

"I think we often talk about the wonderful things the superintendent can do to move the district forward and we often neglect the basic nuts and bolts," Kaynor said. "We need somebody that can keep the ship running in terms of the basic necessities—80 percent of the job is stuff we don’t see, getting kids to schools on time."

Support the Arts and Transparency

Some parents also spoke of the desire to have a superintendent who can not only focus on academic issues, but support an arts program throughout the grade levels.

Elaine Legendre, whose kids have since graduated from Melrose Public Scools, still volunteers for the drama program and voiced a desire to see a superintendent who will take the parent volunteerism in the arts and carry the program even further.

"I’m not talking about just the visual arts and not just orchestra, but performing arts as well as chorus," she said.

Another parent who volunteers for the drama program, George Sweet, also advocated for a superintendent who will support the arts, segueing his experience into a call for transparency and openness. As an example, he said the drama program makes money on its productions, and parents involved in the program want more inclusion in discussions on how to spend that money.

"People get frustrated and say 'I’m not going to participate more,'" Sweet said. "The more I’ve gotten involved, I’m afraid it’s endemic of the whole school system. It’s seems like there's a lot of people frustrated about who’s making the call."

Ward 2 Monica Medeiros echoed that call for transparency and inclusion, adding that the superintendent needs to work well with the staff, bring out the best in each individual.

"Find someone that would listen to them and make them feel included in the process and bring out the best in those individual teachers, individual staff teachers and bring them to the next level," Medeiros said. "It's kind of an old adage—judge the tree by its fruit."