Pittsfield Will Seek an Interim School Superintendent
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Joseph Curtis will be replaced by an interim superintendent in June.
On Wednesday, the School Committee authorized the personnel/negotiations subcommittee to search for an interim superintendent that starts no later than July 1-- earlier if possible.
"I wish we were not having to do this," Chair William Cameron said.
A couple of weeks ago, Curtis announced that he would be stepping down at the end of June after 30 years with the Pittsfield Public Schools. He read an emotional message that explained his decision is "The right decision for me, for the district, and the community I care deeply about."
The outgoing superintendent said in the coming months, his priority will be to ensure a seamless transition to his successor.
Cameron told the committee on Wednesday that they have three options: conduct a full-bore search for a new superintendent, secure an interim superintendent for some or all of the upcoming school year, or do nothing.
Members agreed that filling the position temporarily is the best path forward.
William Garrity pointed out that he and Mayor Peter Marchetti (then council president) were on the search committee that selected Curtis about four years ago. Garrett was a student representative at the time and remembers being told by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees that most superintendent candidates are looking to apply at the beginning of the year.
"I think we would be at a really strong disadvantage if we started a full-time superintendent search tonight," he said.
"I think we should go the interim route, be able to provide at least some continuity while also allowing us to conduct a more full search. We're also coming up on election season. The School Committee composition may change so that's also another fact we have to consider."
Sara Hathaway agreed.
"I think it's not a secret that we will need to adjust the salary for the position in order to attract top candidates," she said.
"We have had a bargain clearance sale price on that position for a long time. We tried to raise the salary last year and Mr. Curtis declined the raise that was calculated for him so I think we need to look at a number of aspects of the position before we conduct a search for a long-term candidate."
Dominick Sacco said he knows that time is of the essence but "this is such an important position and it is something that we really need to look at very carefully, take our time."
"It's not that we have a lot of time but take the time we have and really look deep into the credentialing and also the priorities that we're looking for," he added.
"Because there are obviously priorities that need to be dealt with I think more immediate than later and that should be talked about."
Cameron said Marchetti, who was absent from the meeting, asked him to share that he believes an interim superintendent is a sound approach.
Tags: Pittsfield Public Schools, superintendent,
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