EASTHAMPTON — With the search for a permanent superintendent currently on hold, the School Committee has instead set its sights on finding an interim leader for the next school year and is beginning the process of replacing two members who resigned in the wake of the failed search.

During the committee’s work session Monday, members discussed their next steps in finding potential candidates who will lead the school district for the next year or two. At this point, members have agreed to work with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to find candidates who may be interested in the interim role.

Staff from the school committee association will provide technical assistance that includes a list of potential candidates who are interested in serving school districts in a temporary capacity and contacting candidates to see if they’re interested in Easthampton’s opening. If those on the list are interested, they will be encouraged to submit their resume.

Because there is much less work associated in this interim search, there will be no fee, said Liz Lafond, a field director for the association.

Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski indicated that the process will “not be as expansive” as the search for a permanent superintendent — as there will be no search committee — but will include interviews and site visits where candidates will have the opportunity to meet members of the school community.

“These folks on the interim list, they probably have their resumes ready,” Lafond said.

At the meeting, the committee agreed to schedule another work session next Monday at 6 p.m. to look at resumes with the intent to start interviews on May 30. On Tuesday, May 16, the committee will finalize questions they have for interim candidates in a work session.

Kwiecinski thanked Lafond and Glenn Koocher, the executive director of the school committee association, for their guidance and prompt support.

“I think we’re in really good shape. We have a plan,” she said.

With the interim process starting to fall in place, School Committee member and Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said a new search for a permanent superintendent will likely begin again this fall, with the position being posted near the end of December or early January.

LaChapelle said that some committee members have advocated doing more outreach to parents and will reimagine the process over the summer.

“I would expect to see a different format,” she said.

Resignations

In the meantime, the School Committee is also discussing what steps it will take to fill the board positions recently vacated by Shannon Dunham and Laurie Garcia, who resigned in the wake of the failed superintendent search.

Both Dunham and Garcia have said they did not agree with the way events transpired after the committee offered the superintendent position to finalist Vito Perrone, and then rescinded it less than a week after Perrone included “Ladies” as a salutation in an email. Both said the way the process was handled contributed to their decisions to resign.

LaChapelle told the Gazette that she respects both committee members in submitting their resignations.

“It’s their personal choices,” she said. “They need to decide how and where they’re going to serve, but they will be missed. They’re both very ... diligent, thorough school committee members, and I’m hoping we have the opportunity to fill their seats with the same.”

Under the city’s charter, the typical seven-member committee can still operate with only five members.

Moving forward, the City Council will host a series of three joint meetings with the School Committee to fill the committee seats. At this point, no dates have been solidified.

Through these meetings, City Council President Homar Gomez will put out a call for candidates interested in the positions, there will be some discussion, and at the final meeting, the committee and the council will use ranked-choice voting to determine who will fill those positions.

The School Committee seats will only need to be filled for a portion of the year as elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Over the past month, residents of the community and beyond have weighed in on the committee’s superintendent search process.

LaChapelle said the committee’s decision to seek out an interim schools leader shows that the committee is listening and responding, but that is just the beginning. She said that the remaining committee members are looking at how to engage and build trust with the community. In that effort, the committee will bring in whoever is needed to help that process, she said.

“Schools, education bring up very intense — rightfully so — feelings and emotions,” LaChapelle said. “The School Committee is elected to look at policy, procedure and continuity, and I think that we delivered a process for selecting a superintendent that met those three criteria. Now, the twist of it is that mandate doesn’t include the result, and not everyone likes it. And right now, that’s where we are.”

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>