EASTHAMPTON — The School Committee could approve a contract with a new superintendent Friday if negotiations with finalist Erica Faginski-Stark are fruitful.

The committee expects to begin the remote meeting at 4 p.m. in open session, followed by a vote to enter into executive session to enter into negotiations. The committee will then return to open session and vote to accept the superintendent contract.

At a meeting attended by 1,000 people on Monday, the committee voted 5-1 to offer the job to Faginski-Stark, the current director of curriculum and instruction at Ludlow Public Schools.

The committee’s decision has been in the spotlight after its first choice for superintendent, Vito Perrone, had stated that his offer was rescinded after he addressed Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski and Suzanne Colby, executive assistant to the committee, as “Ladies” in an email.

Kwiecinski has since told the Gazette that while she did take issue with Perrone’s familiarity in the email correspondence that was part of a salary negotiation, she noted that more went into the decision to rescind the job offer.

In the week that followed Perrone’s announcement, residents took to social media questioning the process and rallying for the School Committee to reconsider. A protest with more than 150 people was held and an online petition to recall the entire School Committee garnered more than 1,000 signatures.

Throughout this week, residents have been standing outside at the Easthampton Municipal Building collecting signatures on a petition to recall Kwiecinski, which will need to be turned in to the city clerk’s office.

Signatures are the first of several steps to recall someone who was elected as required by the city’s charter. To trigger an election, petitioners need to collect 400 signatures and contain the names of at least 60 voters in each of the city’s precincts.

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