The School Committee will be forming a search committee to help find Watertown’s next superintendent, and parents and community members will be a part of the group.
School Committee Chairman John Portz said the Search Committee will have three parents, three teachers, two administrators, a high school student, two community members and two to three School Committee members.
The parents and community members will be selected from people who apply to participate in the process.
The teachers will be appointed by the Watertown Educators Association.
School Committee member Eileen Hsu-Balzer wondered if someone who is a teacher who also lives in town could count as a community member. She wanted to make sure no group is over represented on the committee.
She also wanted to make sure someone familiar with district’s special education program be part of the group.
Those participating in the Search Committee must be able to attend the orientation meeting and all of the evening meetings and interviews.
The School Committee sent out the following announcement on the Search Committee:
Watertown Public Schools Superintendent Search Committee
The Watertown Public School District is launching a search process to hire a permanent superintendent to help lead the school system. This is an important and exciting time for the district. New curriculum initiatives are underway and long-term planning is moving forward to provide state-of-the-art buildings for our teachers and students. A new superintendent, who will start July 1, 2017, will play a critical role in helping the district move forward on these and other important initiatives.
A Superintendent Search Committee is central to this process. The Watertown School Committee is seeking parents and other members of the community to serve on the Search Committee. The Search Committee will be composed of 12-14 individuals – parents, teachers, administrators, community members, students and School Committee members – and will be responsible for reviewing applications for the superintendent position, interviewing top candidates, and recommending to the School Committee at least three candidates for its consideration. We anticipate that the Search Committee will include three parents and two community members. The Search Committee will be supported by Glenn Koocher, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and Craig Hardimon, the Director of Human Resources for the Watertown Public Schools.
A parent or community member interested in serving on the Search Committee should send an e-mail or letter to Christie Fisher at christie.fisher@watertown.k12.ma.us. The statement should indicate the individual’s connection to the Watertown Public Schools (grade level and school of child, if applicable) and why he or she would like to serve on the Search Committee. Importantly, Search Committee members must be available for the Committee orientation on the evening of January 11, 2017, and also available for evening meetings and interviews with applicants in the Innovation Lab (Third Floor) of the Administration Building at 30 Common Street on the following dates:
Search Committee Meeting Dates
1/11/17 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm
1/23/17 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm
2/1/17 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm
2/2/17 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm
2/4/17 – 8:30am – 3:00pm
2/6/17 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm
2/7/17 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm
2/8/17 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Applications for the Search Committee are due by December 19, 2016. For more information or questions, contact Craig Hardimon at craig.hardimon@watertown.12.ma.us or 617-926-7700 or John Portz (School Committee chair) at john.portz@watertown.k12.ma.us or 617-924-1899.