Search committee for new Frontier superintendent develops questions for candidates

DEERFIELD — The Frontier Regional and Union 38 Superintendent Search Subcommittee on Thursday will continue its work toward hiring a replacement for outgoing superintendent Martha Barrett.

The meeting will begin at 7:45 a.m. in the Frontier Regional School Media Center. It will focus on developing questions that the finalists will be asked during their interviews.

The regional school committee has hired the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to run the search. After the deadline for applications closes on Jan. 15, the search committee will be presented with semifinalists later this month. They will be screened, and those who make the cut will be presented to the full regional committee for interviews.

Sarah Mitchell, the Frontier director of secondary education who chairs the subcommittee, said the questions for semifinalists will include both those typically asked of superintendent candidates and those derived from comments from a public survey and focus groups. The interviews are scheduled to be conducted between Feb. 1 and 5, according to the district’s website.

Barrett announced in September her plan to retire at the end of the current school year. She’s been in the position since 2013 and previously served as principal at Frontier, a position now held by Darius Modestow.

Barrett began working at Frontier in 2002. She served as the Sunderland Elementary School principal for three years prior to that, and as principal of the Newton School in Greenfield for five years.

The regional committee expects to appoint the new superintendent by March 10, with an expected start date of July 1.