Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 1/17/2022
LUDLOW – With the search for a new superintendent in full swing, the Ludlow School Committee received an update on the search during its Jan. 11 meeting.
School Committee Vice Chair James Harrington, who also chairs the Superintendent Search Committee, said the committee was preparing for interviews with candidates after the deadline for applications passed on Jan. 7.
“We had nine applicants that came in as of last Friday and our subcommittee has narrowed it down to five individuals. Those interviews are going to take place in executive session because these names are not public yet until they get forwarded to the School Committee,” he said.
As the search committee ramps up to the interviews, Harrington explained the process for the interviews.
“Over the time we have been meeting we have formulated 13 questions. We have about an hour or so per interview and the interviews are going to take place at Harris Brook Elementary – we would like to show off our new school to these potential candidates – we are going to be doing that on Jan. 24 and Jan. 26,” he said.
Committee Secretary Jeffery Laing, who also serves on the search committee, said he was confident in the interview review process before the committee sends the final candidates ahead of the full School Committee.
“We will deliberate after the interviews and we have a rubric set up with the questions on it, therefore each person can put a score for that candidate. After that we will continue to discuss and it is not like we are sending one candidate, we are sending a few so it is going to work out, I can tell,” he said. “It is a good group of people and everybody is working together so I know that we are going to get there.”
Harrington added the search committee is prepared to conduct the interviews remotely if necessary.
“We do have it set up in the event that somebody needs to come in remotely, whether it is COVID [-19] or they just cannot get here for that day, so we are going to set it up in the media center in Harris Brook. We are hoping in-person, but we are taking all precautions right now,” he said.
Harrington said he hopes the search committee can send good candidates to the full School Committee.
“We are about a week ahead of schedule so by Jan. 31 we will be making a recommendation for this committee now to start doing its part as far as the interview process. We have a really good committee and cross section of people, two great students, great teachers who are involved in the system and administrators,” he said. “It is going to be really interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes, I am hope we can forward some good candidates along.”
Once the candidates are sent to the School Committee, the final interviews should take about a month.
“The plan is that this committee would then do its due diligence because we will need to do site visits, we will need to do our open public interviews and then make an appointment hopefully at that point. The plan was to do that by early to mid-March,” he said.
During the meeting, committee Chair Michael Kelliher and member Charles Mullin announced they would not be seeking reelection in the town election, which takes place on March 28.
The Ludlow School Committee next meets on Jan. 25 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Feb. 3 edition of The Reminder.