PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee feels the city truly has the best superintendent.

 

The committee presented Superintendent Jason McCandless with his review on Wednesday, rating him exceptional and praising his leadership and work in the district. 

 

"Dr. McCandless continues to establish himself as a visionary leader of Pittsfield Public Schools," said School Committee member Anthony Riello.

 

Mostly noted was his work with the district improvement plan, which incorporated input from all of the teachers. The plan led the way - and will continue to lead the way - for much of what the district does over the years.

 

The School Committee praised McCandless' effort to head the effort in a collaborative way.

 

"You are giving power back to the faculty who are the experts in the classroom," School Committee member Pamela Farron said.

 

When it comes to curriculum development, the School Committee cited his efforts to align curriculum both horizontally and vertically - though some said there needs to be more work on the vertical alignment. Through the District Improvement Plan, teachers were charged with mapping curriculum and were brought together to ensure they were teaching the same thing across the various schools. 

 

Further, the School Committee cited his focus on ensuring there is a diversity of education, giving every student the ability to learn. 

 

"This past year's work has enormous potential to transform our school's performance," School Committee member Cynthia Taylor said.

 

With human resources, the School Committee praised his ability to recruit new teachers, including efforts like partnering with the Greylock Teach program at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to encourage more students to go into teaching and work for the district. McCandless also created a diversity team to promote diversity in staff and coaches to help teachers better understand diversity. 

 

Farron added that there is still more work to be done when it comes to diversity and cited a state's warning that the district is suspending too high of a percentage of African American boys on individualize educational plans.

 

The School Committee also praised his communication and use of data to drive decisions. Farron said he did an "excellent job" with working with faculty about what and when to teach and revamping the curriculum mapping. The faculty was also involved in selecting the professional development programs brought into the district.

 

"I think that was missing in our district and that has made a huge difference in morale in the district," Farron said.

 

McCandless is said to be leading by example when it comes to continuous learning and improving, which is being reflected in the teachers. He also has taken a leadership role in the Massachusetts Association Superintendents and School Committees, the Berkshire County Educational Task Force, efforts to continually improve his work and the work of the district.

 

"Dr. McCandless is an exemplary definition of a life-long learner," Taylor said.

 

Chairwoman Katherine Yon said McCandless is "constantly reflecting on his own practices." He has show the ability to take new approaches to issues. That includes changing positions to better suit the needs of schools and a new approach at working on the budget by bringing the principals in to the School Committee in a day-long session to discuss the needs and conditions.

 

Some criticism did come from Daniel Elias and Joshua Cutler about promoting the district. Both said they would like to have seen McCandless work on changing the perception of the school and highlight the positive things the district does. 

 

"It is not an easy solution, I understand that, but it is so important," Elias said. 

 

Elias said even small things like making sure all elementary schools are participating in the Halloween parade and promoting the open houses add up to paint a better picture of the school. Elias thinks there are many misconceptions about the district and would like the current state of education in Pittsfield to be shown to the community. 

 

When it comes to McCandless himself, Elias praised his ability to always treat people with respect. Tayor that he builds "honest relationships" in the district and is an "inexhaustible change agent."

 

"He has raised the professionalism and morale of our teachers," Farron said.

 

Mayor Linda Tyer said she finds herself looking to emulate a lot of what McCandless does on the municipal side - especially the leadership and collaborative efforts. She cited his efforts to work with the city on the budget and not in a silo, promoting a culturally competent staff, and partnering with early education providers.

 

"These are certainly things I hope to emulate on the municipal side," Tyer said.

 

McCandless responded by saying he was honored by the praise, but he went back to his job interview when he told the committee that his "greatest skill was knowing when to say yes to the people who surround me, that are smarter than me, and more skilled than me."

 

"This is so much more of an evaluation of our team in some ways, all of us up here and the 1,100 people who work in the district," McCandless said.