NEWBURYPORT — The Newburyport community is looking for more longevity when it comes to their ideal next school superintendent.
After a decade of high turnover in the district's central office, residents, business leaders, faculty and students listed a long-term commitment to the public school system as one of the most valued characteristic recruiters should be looking for when it comes to the district's next chief administrator. They also hope the next superintendent is a strong communicator inspiring confidence in the community, strives to be a lifelong learner, and is a visionary who is trustworthy, honest and transparent.
Ultimately, they hope search firm Hazard Young and Associates locates a good match for a city that offers natural beauty and a number of positives to prospective candidates, but one they admit comes with existing challenges.
After spending the past month hearing from upward of 50 focus groups made up of different representative members of the city populace, HYA submitted a report to the School Committee Monday night based on feedback from those focus groups.
Consultants John Connolly and Albert Argenziano told the committee that groups painted a portrait of an ideal, which varied depending on the interest group but reached consensus in several key areas.
"Reviewing a community's list of the attributes and expertise desired in a new Superintendent of Schools is always daunting for the consultants," wrote Connolly and Argenziano in their compiled Leadership Profile. "The list usually defines a person of almost super qualities. While that is certainly true for the input we received on this question in Newburyport, there is some consensus about the most important qualities the district would like to see."
In all the groups the two met with, people believed listening and communication skills were qualities of utmost importance to look for in the next school leader, along with their dedication to remain visible in the community and in the schools, he said.
A superintendent with a collaborative leadership style, knowledge of best practices, strong management skills, and the highest level of honesty and integrity were also traits that groups claimed were important across the board.
In return, they pointed to the dedicated and talented teaching staff, small class sizes, supportive school community and community business partnerships, and a beautiful riverfront city and quality of life as positives for any incoming superintendent.
"The strengths are that this school system sits in the middle of an ecological paradise, rich in environmental, scientific, cultural and historical resources," wrote one focus group member cited by HYA. "We also are fortunate to have a passionate and engaged community in our schools, as well as a dedicated staff."
Some of the biggest challenges that a new superintendent would face coming in, according to community input, are inadequate funding to deliver quality programs, a high administrative turnover rate, school infrastructure badly in need of rebuilding and the need to communicate effectively with the 80 percent of the populace who do not have children in the public schools.
"The two most commonly cited (challenges) were adequate funding for the public schools and a superintendent who would make a long-term commitment to the Newburyport Public Schools and community," according to HYA. "Another issue of concern was the need to adopt a capital improvement program to restore and maintain quality school facilities."
Of interest in the breakdown of focus groups were the issues of utmost importance to students, who stressed the need to restore foreign language at the middle school and bring back the popular after-school programs cut several years ago due to budget problems.
For teachers, the most important issues centered around maintaining low class size, addressing unfunded mandates that are placing a strain on the budget, and funding for programs, facilities,and competitive salaries.
Parents described the "revolving door" of superintendents as one of the biggest challenges in the district, along with the need to seek more funding sources at the federal level and the inability to maintain quality staff.
The next stage in the process of finding and selecting a new superintendent is the actual search process itself, after which the appointed Screening Committee members will proceed with a seminar for interviews and final stages of search and presentation of candidates, scheduled to occur by Feb. 22, 2010.
Finalists are expected to be identified by Feb. 26, 2010, with a slate of finalists coming before the community at a seminar on March 5, 2010. Finalists will then be interviewed, and a preferred candidate announced by March 12, with site visits taking place on March 26 and the announcement occurring March 31.
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