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Date: 4/10/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – After final interviews had been concluded on April 2, Michael Richard was announced as the permanent superintendent for West Springfield Schools.
Richard has served as the interim superintendent since Dr. Russell Johnston left the district last summer for a position with the Commonwealth’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The School Committee selected Richard by a vote of 4-3 over Jennifer Willard, the director of Human Resources for Westfield Public Schools. Doug Dias, the principal of Medway High School, was one of the three finalists for the position but withdrew from contention before the voting took place.
Though Richard said that waiting for the School Committee to make its final decision was nerve-racking, he was thrilled to be able to continue his work as the permanent superintendent.
“I’m very excited to continue this chapter of leadership experience and to help guide West Springfield Public Schools to be a Level One district,” Richard said. “At the heart of that will be constant collaboration and strategic focus on targeting areas of need.”
The deliberations before the final vote revolved around the polarized perspectives either final candidate could bring to the table. For Willard, this was a fresh set of eyes to see where and how the district could improve. For Richard, it was consistency and the chance to build on demonstrated successes.
The School Committee as a whole described Willard as a smart and energetic leader.
“She’s going to make a great administrator some day. I’m just not sure she’s ready for the job today,” committee member Michelle Serafino said.
School Committee member Joey Sutton said Willard has the capabilities to improve West Springfield schools in the way only an outsider can.
“When you walk into your own house, you miss the cracks, you miss the little things. When someone else comes to visit you, they notice the cracks. They notice the little things,” Sutton said.
The other side of the coin was the familiarity Richard brings to the table. Having served as principal of West Springfield High School for four years before taking over for Johnston, Richard was at the helm for dramatic improvements in the school’s dropout and graduation rates. The graduation rate for 2013-14 school year was 85.1 percent, up considerably from 69.1 percent for the 2007-08 school year.
“It was difficult for me to sort through who was the very best person for the district, and I did come to a conclusion,” member Pat Garbacik said. “I really think that we have the best person for our district in Mike Richard.”
In addition to the visible improvements in seeing students receive diplomas, Richard was at the helm for the construction process of the new high school and the development of the CARE Coalition, which discusses substance abuse prevention and treatment in the community.
Richard said that, while he did not achieve any of this alone, he spent considerable time getting to know the community in his West Springfield tenure.
“West Springfield needs a leader that understands the population and can work with the various stakeholders. I’ve spent the last five years learning all about West Springfield,” Richard said in his closing statements. “I know the students. I know the faculty. I know the staff. I know the administration, the families, the community organizations, and community partners. I’ve been in classrooms, cheered in the bleachers, donated to fundraisers, been to prom, been to the dances and pancake breakfast, you name it, to connect with people who are in this town, to best understand what it is they need and what direction they want to go.”
And this direction is forward, he said.
The district has seen change and lots of it in recent months. With Johnston, “who we all admired as being a great leader,” Garbacik said, and the search for two new principals at the middle school and Fausey school, Richard stressed the importance of consistency in his final statements.
“The district cannot afford another transition period, where it might be taking somebody from the outside and teaching them about the West Side way,” he said.
Beyond consistency, Mayor Edward Sullivan said that Richard brings something else to the district: a strong work ethic.
“I’m not always the easiest guy to work for. I can be demanding, but I also try to be compassionate,” Sullivan said. “I’ve watched Mike Richard work over the last nine months, and he’s the only employee that I’m aware of that puts in more hours than I do.”