AMHERST — Only one finalist to serve as the next principal at the Amherst Regional Middle School met virtually with the public at a recent public conversation, but it is uncertain if she will be named the school’s next leader.

Gabrielle Jackson, resident principal and director of academic interventions at the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, is the lone candidate for the job, after Tonya Brodd, superintendent and director of special education at Pointe Educational Services in Phoenix, Arizona, accepted another position. They were the two finalists to replace Diego Sharon, who is leaving after three years as middle school principal.

Superintendent Michael Morris, in an email Tuesday, wrote that he will soon have more to share on the status of the search. At the Amherst Regional School Committee last week, Morris said that with one finalist remaining, it doesn’t mean an appointment is imminent, or that a new search will be needed.

The hiring process comes with contention as a letter signed by 10 educators at the middle school, and supported by another 12 anonymous educators, advocated for an internal candidate, who is not identified. That letter, which requested this candidate be publicly interviewed, was sent to Morris, Assistant Superintendent of Diversity, Equity and Human Resources Doreen Cunningham and the school committees.

“We have a strong internal candidate with commensurate, and, in some cases, substantially more credentials and licenses who is not in the finalist pool,” their letter states. “After several years of administrative turnover, this internal candidate with wide staff support will be an important person to add to the pool of principal finalists for ARMS.”

But requests for that candidate to be added to the virtual forum held March 28 was not heeded.

That meeting, broadcast live on the school district’s YouTube channel, began with Cunningham acknowledging that some in the community had appealed for her and the Human Resources team to recuse themselves from the session, and that other actions had been aimed at hindering the search. Because of that, Cunningham said she would state publicly that, even though both she and Jackson are Black, there was no previous connection between them.

“You and I, even though we share the same skin color, we have never met and have no outside affiliation,” Cunningham said.

“I affirm that I have not met Miss Cunningham before last week’s interview,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s session otherwise proceeded to 45 minutes of discussion, where she described herself as an “inclusive, affirming, collaborative leader.”

She also praised parents as an integral part of the school. “Parents also should have a voice when it comes to decisions happening for their students and with their students,” Jackson said.

A University of Akron graduate with a degree in political science, Jackson earned a masters of education in curriculum and instruction from Cleveland State University.

She serves as chairwoman of the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and is a current member of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Principal and Teacher Advisory Cabinet, and was named a DESE inSPIRED Fellow for 2019-2020.

A protective learning environment is a priority for Jackson.

“The foundation for students to be successful is for them to feel safe and welcome in their classrooms, regardless of gender identity, orientation, race and ability,” Jackson said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>