Schools

Committee Sets Ground Rules for Superintendent Search

A rundown of what candidates can expect during the process.

The pursuit for the new superintendent of Norton Public Schools officially began Monday night, as the Search Committee met in the library to discuss the interviewing process and qualifications.

Once the advertising brochure is made available to the public, applicants will have to submit hard copies of resumes to the committee. While digital copies were being considered, the committee decided that viewing individual, printed resumes would give more insight to the candidate than a uniform application through www.schoolspring.com.

“Sometimes it’s very important to see what we actually get,” said current superintendent and process coordinator for the Search Committee Dr. Patricia Ansay. “If someone sends you something and it’s very evident they didn’t spend much time on it, it tells you a few things maybe about the character.”

From the resumes they see, the committee will rate them and choose up to 10 candidates to interview. They will all be asked the same questions.

Until the selection of 10 candidates is narrowed down to three to five, candidate information will remain confidential. The School Committee will then make a final decision.

During the first selection meeting, the committee worked on a list of qualifications they are looking for. This list has not been made available to the public at this time.

“You don’t want to show all your cards,” Ansay explained.

Members introduced themselves as Ansay, Search Committee chairwoman Beth McManus, school committee member Marge Werner, school administrators Jeanne Sullivan and Raymond Dewar, teachers Kent Taylor and Sara Horton, superintendent administrative assistant Terry Rand, selectman Robert Kimball, town manager Michael Yunits, citizens-at-large Lindy O’Connell and Kenneth Cabral, student Hannah Lavendier, parents Shawna Powers and Karen Ellston, site council business representative Alicia Fernandes and support staff member Loretta Wilson.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 17 where they will finalize the advertising brochure.


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