Schools

Andover Seeks Public Input On Superintendent Search

The survey asks community members which candidate they prefer for the district's interim superintendent.

Christopher Huffaker's profile picture
Christopher Huffaker, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
The School Committee will pick between the two finalists, Claudia Bach and Kathleen Alward Smith, on Thursday.
The School Committee will pick between the two finalists, Claudia Bach and Kathleen Alward Smith, on Thursday. (Dave Copeland/Patch)

ANDOVER, MA — Want to have your say in Andover's interim superintendent of schools? The School Committee is seeking public input on the two finalists for the position, ahead of Thursday's expected vote.

The committee put out a survey asking community members which candidate they think would be "most successful in leading the district until a permanent superintendent is hired" and "do the better job of communicating and collaborating with faculty, staff, families and the public." You can also provide specific comments on the two candidates.

The survey will be open until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Find out what's happening in Andoverfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The two finalists are:

  • Kathleen Alward Smith, former Brockton Public Schools superintendent and Salem Public Schools interim superintendent.
  • Claudia Bach, former Andover superintendent and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education director of education policy, preparation and leadership.

The School Committee interviewed the two candidates at their most recent meeting. The interviews are available here. They expect to vote on a candidate at their Thursday 7 p.m. meeting.

Find out what's happening in Andoverfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Andover