Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 6/20/2023
EASTHAMPTON — After months of controversy and discussions around the community, Easthampton has an interim superintendent for next year. During the School Committee’s June 12 meeting, the committee unanimously agreed to offer the job to Maureen Binienda, the interim superintendent at Quaboag Public Schools and former superintendent of Worcester Public Schools.
Prior to the decision, Binienda interviewed with the committee on June 3 and conducted a site visit in the district the week prior.
During her interview, Binienda discussed how she handles navigating a situation where a decision may be made that people in the district might not agree with.
“I think initially it’s uncomfortable, but the longer you’re in it, the more you can handle it. It’s okay to get criticized, if hostility also comes from that and you’ve made a decision you think is right, you have to stick by your decision but don’t return that hostility back to people,” she said. “I think the basic is to be honest with people, make your decision based on facts, don’t get emotional about that, be able to still have passion for what you believe in but to say it in a way you don’t offend other people.”
Binienda added that it was important to respond to the negative feedback when it comes up.
Binienda also described her goals for the upcoming school year.
“The main goal is really to fulfill the goals that you have in your strategic plan. You also have that you want to effectively deal with the social-emotional academic skills of your students and that would be another focus that I would work on,” she said.
Along with those goals, Binienda said she would look at bringing an early college program to Easthampton schools.
“I would love to explore that, that’s an example of an initiative we could do in a short period of time and at least explore it,” she said.
Speaking to her special education experience, Binienda discussed a time when she was in Worcester when some of the English Language Learners took advanced placement classes.
“We picked the best social studies teacher in the school, and we took 13 English Language Learners, and that teacher taught the class twice a day. What happened at the end of the year, every single one of them got at least a three,” she said. “We shared that with the staff because it was really important for people to realize that sometimes we might think that certain students can’t take high level classes, but it’s really about what extra supports we can provide them so they can be successful.”
At the June 12 meeting, the committee went member by member detailing their thoughts on the three candidates. Along with Binienda, the committee also interviewed longtime Chicopee educator and administrator Roland Joyal and Ware Public Schools Superintendent Marlene DiLeo.
New committee member Laura Scott said she was “impressed” with Binienda.
“I found her to be very coherent, very thoughtful. The breadth and diversity of experience, and how she really seemed to me to take heart in the lessons she had learned throughout her career, I thought it to be really impressive,” she said. “I really can’t make any criticisms of her.”
Scott added that she thought it was important to hire someone who was looking for an interim position, not a more permanent one.
One aspect of Binienda’s interview that new member Sarah Hunter viewed as a positive was that she was able to distinguish between an interim superintendent and a permanent one.
“Binienda definitely seemed to have a good understanding of that and was able to clearly articulate what that difference was. Some of the things that she discussed in that regard was keeping the ship running, finishing unfinished projects and assisting us in transitioning the new superintendent in,” she said.
Member Megan Harvey said Binienda’s special education experience was important.
“I was really pleased with her special ed answers, her thoughts and her specialty in special education. I also appreciated the growth ideas, especially the focus on tech schools, I thought that was a great direction given the increases we’ve seen in vocational schools, the interest we’ve seen and the direction things are going in general,” she said.
Member Ben Hersey said he was happy to see that Binienda’s focus was on the children of the district and helping them.
“She talked about helping our town heal and the focus on kids. Even though it’s such a gigantic world she’s coming out of, I think she did return to the question of how our kids are doing multiple times, which made me feel her focus was in the right place,” he said.
While the committee agreed that any of the candidates would be a good choice for the interim superintendent, each member of the committee agreed that Binienda was the best choice and unanimously agreed to offer the interim superintendent position to her. Per an executive session meeting agenda, preparations for negotiations were expected to begin on June 19.