Firm Selected to Find Superintendent's Replacement

The Newport School Committee took one of the first steps towards hiring a new superintendent on Tuesday night by hiring consulting firm New England Development Council (NESDEC) in a 5-2 vote. Committee members Robert Leary and Thomas Phelan voted against accepting the firm's bid.

Superintendent John H. Ambrogi announced his plans to retire in late 2012 and will leave Newport Public Schools in Jan. 2014.

NESDEC, based out of Marlboro, MA, beat out two other firms to find Ambrogi’s replacement. Their proposal included a $7,960 fee plus $2,960 in additional expenses, which was the lowest bid of the group.

Ray and Associates, Inc., based in Iowa, submitted a proposal for a base fee of $15,500 with an additional $6,775 in expenses, topping out at an estimated search cost of $22,257.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, out of Illinois, proposed a $15,500 consulting fee with an additional $2,500 in expenses, totaling $21,000.

Travel costs significantly impacted the latter firms' proposals.

Despite an appealing price tag from NESDEC, Committee member Rebecca Bolan initially leaned toward Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, who Bolan believed would provide a more “global” search than NESDEC. The Massachusetts firm said appeared to be limited to sourcing from only the New England area, she said.

A motion to hire Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates failed 3-4.

Committee member Jo Eva Gaines said she favored NESDEC to the other firms, whose bids were twice as high, because they would help “keep our costs in control.”

NESDEC would cast just as large a net as the other firms, school committee Robert Power said, and that there is a lot of talent to pull from in New England.

Still not sold on NESDEC, Leary and Phelan both voiced concerns over their past work with Newport schools, and ultimately voted against its proposal.