Cheshire Meets New Adams-Cheshire Superintendent
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Adams-Cheshire Regional's new interim superintendent continued his introductory rounds last week, this time with the Board of Selectmen.
Robert Putnam had introduced himself to the Adams Selectmen earlier this month and addressed the regional district's School Committee for the first time last Monday.
"I want to introduce myself to as many people as I can in town because I think we are in momentous times, and I need to get as much information as I can from people in the towns that make up the district," Putnam said told the board on Tuesday. "My thought is that decisions that have to be made are always better made if you know the fears, hopes and dreams of the people that live in the towns."
Putnam handed out his entry plan and said because he holds an interim position, he wants to learn as much about the community and school as quickly as possible to better inform his decisions.
The interim leader is stepping in during a difficult period in the school district as it searches for a new leader while struggling with low scores and tight budgets.
"I am hoping to gain as much information in a short period of time as an interim superintendent,” he said. "Typically I would have taken a longer time ... but I think because my position is only an interim position I feel I need to expedite this.”
He said he plans to interview as many people as possible in the district and from the community and is open to both one-on-one and group interviews.
"I want to get an idea of what people are thinking about in the district," Putnam said. "I will be doing a lot of analysis also ... I want to collect all of the information I can to inform all the decisions I make over the course of this year."
Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said she hopes that Cheshire is kept more in the loop.
"In the past, we would find out what was going on with the district through the newspapers," she said. "Also, Adams would make decisions concerning the district and we would find out about it after the fact, and I really didn't like that."
Putnam said one of his goals is to disperse information to both towns in a timely manner
Chairman Paul Astorino said he was concerned about the decreasing state scoring level of the district.
"I am a grandfather of three in the district and their parents and other parents are looking at alternative grammar schools and high schools," Astorino said.
Putnam said he would be happy to meet with the board and explain how the state levels schools and his plans to turn it around.
Selectman Robert Ciskowski said he was disheartened by the district's decision to eliminate positions. He said the selectmen fought for an override the year before to fund these deemed critical positions that were then taken out of the fiscal 2017 budget because of financial restraints.
"We had an override a year ago and it was mainly for the school ... a year later some of those positions we all argued for to get the override to pass were been eliminated," he said. "I feel like I have been left out to dry a little bit after pushing for the override so much and I don't know what to believe anymore."
Putnam said he has noted how lean staffing resources are and that it is on his radar. He reiterated that he hopes to be able to strengthen communication between the towns and the district.
When asked about what Putnam felt his greatest decision will be, he said he was most concerned about the budget and how to allocate limited funds to best serve the students of the district.
"To me, the biggest decision that typically comes up every year has to do with the budget, and the nature of the budget processes such as that we have fixed costs that continually go up," he said. "So my biggest concern is how do I maintain the quality of education for the kids, and I have to figure out what are the best choices that can be made."
Astorino welcomed Putnam to future selectmen meetings anytime he felt necessary.
Putnam said he would like to meet soon for a more focused conversation with the board and plans to visit the board's meetings often.
Tags: ACRSD, superintendent,
