Waltham Superintendent Candidate Withdraws, 1 More Interview

WALTHAM, MA — Two candidates for superintendent came before the school committee Thursday to lay out why they would like to lead the district in the years to come. They faced several rounds of questions, ranging from how long of a commitment they'd make to the city to why Waltham. Two more interviews were set for Saturday, but Brad Morgan, who previously worked in Waltham, withdrew late Thursday.

Former HR director George Frost is interim superintendent this school year as the district edges closer to selecting someone this year to fill the role for the next three years.

Sergio Paez and Brian Reagan came before the school committee for their public interviews Thursday night, as a handful of search committee members, teachers, and administrators watched from the audience. Frank Hackett will do the same Saturday afternoon.

None of the candidates currently work in the district. Two previously served as superintendents, and one is an assistant superintendent. One grew up in Waltham.

The new superintendent would oversee a budget of about $92 million across 10 schools and a pre school and some 5,692 students, 51 percent of which English is not their first language. Of the student population 49.5 percent are considered low Income, and 15.6 percent are considered needing special education.

The next superintendent would also be expected to usher in - and follow through with - the master plan for the new high school building project and address diversity needs and education gaps in the district.

The search committee is made up of 15 people, including three school committee members, two administrators, three faculty members, three parents, two community members, and representatives of the special education team and of an English language learner. They've spent months combing through the more than two dozen applications.

After the public interviews, the superintendent candidates will get the chance to visit Waltham schools and Waltham officials will visit their work places, too. Officials hope to have someone chosen by the end of February.

The final public interview for this round is set for 2 p.m. Saturday in the James Cannon Lecture hall at the high school. It - along with Thursday's interviews - will be aired on the cable access channel Saturday night at 6 p.m.

Who's up next:
Hackett has spent the past five years as superintendent of Braintree Public Schools. Before that he was the superintendent at Pembroke Public Schools for eight years. According to his resume he's been superintendent for five school districts and assistant superintendent for one. He has his Doctorate of Education from the University of Maine, where he also got his certificate of advanced study in educational leadership, his masters and his bachelors. His resume stresses his collaborative leadership style in academic settings.

Brad Morgan, of Chelmsford, has been the Superintendent of Schools for the North Middlesex Regional School District in Pepperell for the past year and a half, while also consulting as a trainer for Teachers 21 in Newton. He withdrew late Thursday. He had worked as a middle school principal in Waltham previously.

Paez and Reagan were interviewed Thursday:

Paez, of Leominster, has worked as the director of Equity, Empowerment and Excellence for English Learners in Central Falls, RI, for the past year and a half. Before that, he worked for a year and a half in Leominster Public Schools' Human Resources office. But he told the school committee his heart is working as a superintendent to make a difference in a district. An immigrant himself, he feels a special mission to "pay it forward," he told them. In 2013, he took a job as superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools in an effort to transform it - it was the worst performing districts in the state. After two and a half years the state took it over, but not before he was able to make a dent in the issues there. He wrote about it in his book. He told the school committee he considers this one of the most challenging aspects of his career, but he also said he took a lot of lessons from the experience. Paez has his Masters' from Harvard and his Ed.D in School Administration from Boston College and got his undergraduate degree from Fitchburg State. His resume highlights several works he's published on urban education, teaching English learners, and professional development.

Reagan has been the assistant superintendent for Wilmington Public Schools for the past year and a half. Before that he was principal for seven years at Hudson High School and for five years at Shrewsbury High School. He has his doctorate from Northeastern University and his masters from UMass Boston. He got his bachelors in music from Boston University. His resume stresses an ability to build relationships, school climate and community investment. He grew up in Waltham and told the school committee Thursday that he decided he wanted to become a teacher and educator when he was in middle school, influenced by Waltham educators. He's the first educator in his family, he said. He told the school committee he sees his job as being the face of the school district, from working with families to the community to doing the hard work of letting go of teachers if need be. Reagan said he was attracted to the job in large part because of the district's master plan, which he called "impressive."

Previously:

• Search For Superintendent Of Waltham Schools Is On
• George Frost To Be Waltham Schools Interim Superintendent
• Waltham Superintendent Echelson Resigns, Takes Job At ...
• Waltham Seeks Superintendent Search Committee Members
• 19 People Applied To Be Superintendent of Waltham Schools
• Superintendent Search Hits Snag In Waltham
• Search For Superintendent Of Waltham Schools Is On Again

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).