Melrose Seeks Volunteers For Screening Committee In Superintendent Search

MELROSE, MA — Melrose community members have a chance to take a prominent role in the search for a new public schools superintendent as part of a soon-to-be-convened Superintendent Screening Committee, officials announced last week.

Melrose has begun a process to pick a new superintendent to succeed Julie Kukenberger, who announced last year that she would not seek a new contract beyond the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The Screening Committee will play a role in the ongoing process, handling the task of whittling down the field of initial applicants to present finalist selections to the School Committee. The School Committee is then scheduled to select a superintendent.

“The (School Committee) is committed to having a diverse and inclusive Screening Committee that will include representatives from the School Committee, staff, community, parents, and an expert in the field of education,” officials said on Thursday.

The Screening Committee will aim to include three parents, two community representatives, one education expert, one district administrator, three district teachers, one district principal, one other staff member and two additional School Committee members serving alongside School Committee Member and Screening Committee Chair Ed O’Connell.

Screening Committee members will be asked to attend a series of meetings beginning in mid-February and continuing through mid-March to undergo orientation, to select candidates for interviews and to interview candidates.

The committee will identify finalists after its interviews.

Applications to serve on the Screening Committee are due by 4 p.m. on Jan. 26. Applicants should send their applications by email or mail to School Committee Chair Margaret Driscoll at mpssupersearch@melroseschools.com or 49 Boston Rock Road, Melrose, MA 02176. Applicants should include a confirmation that they are available on specific meeting dates and times listed here in addition to an introduction and explanation of why they are seeking appointment to the Screening Committee. Applicants should also identify which role on the committee they would like to be associated with.

Melrose officials last week said that the School Committee is expecting to receive more interest in Screening Committee seats than its process allows. Officials said the School Committee will make selection decisions for the Screening Committee in late January based on a goal to have a Screening Committee that is “broadly representative of the Melrose community.

The Melrose School Committee previously discussed its superintendent search in mid-December, selecting the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to provide consulting support around the search.

Association of School Committees Executive Director Glenn Koocher came before the School Committee on Jan. 10 as part of his organization’s work with Melrose officials, reviewing the schedule ahead.

As part of the meeting, Koocher told the committee that it could consider condensing a previously proposed search schedule to avoid potentially losing quality candidates who may accept other jobs later in the school year.

Among changes, Koocher said the committee could cut a step in the search process that would have School Committee members visit the current school districts of finalist candidates. Such a decision would trim a week out of the superintendent search timeline, which could otherwise end with a vote to select a superintendent in mid-April.

Discussion on Jan. 10 also touched on the possibility of adjusting the application deadline for interested applicants. The window could open in early February and close on March 3 under current tentative plans. School Committee Member Jen McAndrew indicated the committee could move the deadline as early as Feb. 27 while still allowing candidates time over February vacation to complete their applications.

The School Committee approved a community survey on Jan. 10 aimed at gauging public priorities for a new superintendent. In approving the survey, the committee shortened the survey deadline slightly from Jan. 22 to Jan. 20. The committee also moved a planned discussion from Jan. 31 to Jan. 24 to, among other things, analyze survey responses and approve job qualifications and selection criteria for a new superintendent before posting job advertisements for the position.

The committee on Jan. 24 may discuss further changes to its schedule particularly with regard to the application deadline, as described in a motion on Jan. 10 from McAndrew.

Where Melrose is moving forward with a full superintendent search process for the time being, the option to select an interim superintendent is still on the table as what Koocher recently described as a "plan B."

School Committee members previously indicated a mix of opinions on the prospect of choosing an interim superintendent in discussions last month.