LETTER: Parents 'Deserve Better' School Committee

Editor’s Note: This letter was sent to the 7-member Framingham School Committee, and later submitted to Framingham Patch for publication.

The Framingham School Committee voted 4-1-1 to approve Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott’s choice of Frank Tiano as assistant superintendent on Monday night. The meeting was taped but there was no sound during the live broadcast for the community to watch the meeting at home.

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Dear School Committee members:

After watching the end of the School Committee meeting with audio, I am left saddened, disappointed and not confident.

I realize the community has never been offered a meet and greet with a candidate for Assistant Superintendent before and that there typically aren’t search committees assembled for that role.

However, given Dr Scott’s history in FPS with hires left to his choices alone, I am grateful for this new process and for the time spent by the committee to select final candidates and for opening this up to the public.

I’ve served on a principal search committee, four years on the District Calendar Committee, the Communications Task Force, and countless meetings for many years as a member of Ways & Means, PTOs. ... You get the idea. I understand the feeling of having already done a great deal of due diligence before coming to a conclusion/solution/suggestion for our town and understand frustrations, when others complain after only a few hours or days of research. I have great respect for those who put forth similar time and efforts on behalf of our school and our town.

With all that in mind, something still isn’t sitting well with me after hearing from our School Committee regarding the hire of Assistant Superintendent.

I understand 15 years of service to education at Dr Tiano’s level should not be marred due to a few recent issues, some of which he cannot legally comment publicly on. That’s why it was vital to hear from the candidate directly, regarding his strengths and accomplishments and how he can use them to help our district moving forward. I felt he wasn’t as strong expressing them publicly as he must have been during the interview process.

Many issues were raised regarding the Assistant Superintendent role. Parents, educators, Town Meeting Members and members of the School Committee asked some tough questions. They also asked some really easy ones. It was the lack of answers to the easy questions that first gave me pause. “What are Framingham’s weaknesses and what can you bring to the table to improve them?” That was asked at least three times. Each time it went unanswered despite a long response. Educators looking for clarification on strengths due to past performance in school (not regarding hot media items) left with more questions.

Despite all of the questions asked and answered, I had the most difficult time watching the chair of the SC, with the combined years of experience equating more than all SC members combined, be ignored.

Ms. Hugo heard the public’s concern, heard Dr. Tiano’s responses to our questions and yours’, as School Committee members. Based on that, she didn’t feel comfortable with a vote last night. Additional time was requested to be certain that Dr. Tiano was a great fit for FPS for the next three years.

Unfortunately, the response to Ms. Hugo wasn’t what I was anticipating. I didn’t hear, “We would be hard pressed to find another with such fantastic complimentary qualities as Dr. Tiano!”

I didn’t hear a list of strengths the School Committee members were excited to see implemented under his leadership or that elementary principals were blown away and couldn’t wait to start working with him.

I wanted to hear that despite the long list of concerns and requests to delay or decline this hire, that the community was off base because the SC, after doing their due diligence had found that they are excited to begin a future with Dr Tiano.

I didn’t hear that hiring Dr. Tiano will be beneficial to our town because of XYZ (beyond updating the district website and having an understanding of Title IX) or Chelmsford’s loss is Framingham’s gain.

I wanted to see our Superintendent and SC thrilled with this hire. I wanted to feel, after a few blunders in the hiring process, that this time Dr Scott got it right. I waited for you to implore us to revisit our feelings on the matter because although mistakes were made, in the long run we would be missing out on an amazing talent and administrative leader who could make a positive difference in the Framingham schools.

Instead I heard, “School starts before we know it and we need to get moving”, It’s summer and people have plans, There are things we can do if this (hire) doesn’t turn out like we hoped, We have the numbers tonight to vote now.”

Nothing left me feeling anyone was excited by this new hire. Our number two leader in the district.

Despite this flawed search process, despite a SC member stating they “didn’t do (their) due diligence (in vetting Dr Tiano’s vote of no confidence), and apologize for that”, despite “still having questions that are unanswered” and a SC member having never met or heard directly from Dr Tiano, yet still voted in favor of his hire and despite the request from the SC Chair, Dr. Silverman and the student representative asking for additional time before voting because they wanted to reflect on the response from the community after the SC meeting. Their opinion voting last night was not in the best interest for Framingham, the position is offered a three year contract, the request was to delay by days. The request was denied and the vote was rushed through.

With this small window into how our SC operates, I have a feeling of huge disappointment. I’m left feeling that any future public input will be regarded similarly and accepted only if it’s convenient for our SC.

As I’ve said publicly before, we deserve better.

Kim Comatas