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Date: 10/19/2022
WARE – As the search for a new superintendent of Ware Public Schools is underway, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) is using public feedback to assist in the process.
On Oct. 11, the second superintendent search community meeting took place on Zoom, following an in-person session on Oct. 3.
Tracy Novick, field director with the MASC, explained, “Because one of the core functionalities of school committees is to appoint the superintendent, one of the things that school committees can choose to do – in which yours has – is to contract the MASC to staff the search.”
She continued, “That doesn’t change at all who makes the decision in terms of the superintendency, but what it does mean is that there is someone from outside the district who has come in, has gathered information about where the district is and what people are looking for in terms of a superintendent at this time.”
Novick shared that she will be the one staffing the search. This includes making sure that all applications are organized when they come in, working directly with the search committee during their first round of interviews and reviews in executive session, and making sure that everything is done correctly under the law and Open Meeting Law.
In addition to gaining feedback from the two public meetings, Novick said they also had a survey out for about one month. She explained that the survey was open to staff, students and other stakeholders.
With this information, the Ware School Committee was able to approve the job description during their Oct. 12 meeting with plans to post the position on Oct. 14.
“The position will be posted from now until just after Thanksgiving – a good six weeks or so for people to apply for the position,” said Novick. “The next six weeks or so are going to seem kind of quiet from a search perspective and that’s because applications are going to be coming into the office and you’re not going to be seeing as much in the district. That doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.”
On Oct. 26, the School Committee will be establishing the seats for the search committee. Novick explained that the search committee does the first-round screening in executive session. After receiving all the applications and meeting and interviewing in executive session, they will determine who the finalists are before forwarding it to the School Committee.
Novick shared the timeline for the superintendent search:
Novick noted that the new superintendent will not begin their role until July 1, 2023.
During the public session on Oct. 11, Novick asked participants to answer three questions:
Eric, a Ware resident who did not share his last name, said he currently has children at all three of the Ware Public Schools. He said, “I don’t know what the strengths are, but I do know there are numerous challenges. One of them is the behavioral problems that are going on in the Ware Junior Senior High School and the middle school,” including rampant bullying. He expressed that there needs to be some accountability for the bullying. Eric added that parent engagement is also a big challenge in the district.
Elizabeth Cygan, parent to a sixth grader in Ware, noted that a strength is the district’s MCAS scores. She added that a challenge in the district is that the middle schoolers don’t have a playground. “I think that might be a result of them misbehaving maybe in class and could help with the bullying issue where they’re releasing their anxiety, stress, especially with what’s been going on since 2020 with COVID-19 and hybrid learning … they need an outlet.”
Cygan went on to recognize Dr. Marlene DiLeo, superintendent, for her efforts in ensuring safety measures within the district and informing parents of such efforts.
School Committee meeting
During the Ware School Committee meeting on Oct. 12, Liz Lafond from MASC provided an update on the search. Lafond informed members that Novick attended three staff meetings at the three schools, hosted public forums, heard from all staff groups and even spoke with students at different levels of the district. She noted that in person feedback is crucial in this process.
From the online survey that closed on Oct. 12, 106 responses were received – 65 percent of which were parents, said Lafond. She noted that they also received responses from Ware graduates.
From the report that Novick put together, Lafond said, “Community was the most common sentiment across the groups who responded who attended in person and online. Ware is building that sense of community across all levels between municipal offices and the schools and school district.”
Lafond noted that staff expressed enthusiasm for working in the district and that the turnover is happening in every district – not just Ware – because of COVID-19.
“Ware believes that kids are the focus,” she said. Lafond recognized the School Committee for always putting the children first.